


Red String of Fate

by RiseoftheBlossom



Category: Naruto
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Love Triangles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2020-08-12 03:50:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 194,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20149633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiseoftheBlossom/pseuds/RiseoftheBlossom
Summary: Haruno Sakura once liked to believe that she knew all there was to know about love, but the truth was far from it. Since when could it involve three people? Well, put simply: it couldn't. But love was tricky at the best of times. What made it even harder was getting caught in the dreaded triangle.





	1. How Long Will I Love You?

**Chapter 1**

**How Long Will I Love You?**

* * *

They were having problems. As much as it made her despair, that was the first thought that would run through her mind whenever she saw her boyfriend of almost five years. They had started dating back when they were thirteen years old – nothing big, of course, for they were just kids. But no matter the age, Sasuke had always spoiled her. Not in a way for everyone to see, because it was just for the two of them, but he did pay her attention.

Or, at least, he used to.

On Christmas Day, they'd shared their first kiss. To her, it had been magical. Everything she could have hoped for and more. But… Well, they had never gone any further than that. Sure, they made out every now and then, but she was starting to feel a little inadequate. Didn't her boyfriend find her attractive anymore? Wasn't she sexy enough for him? Why did he keep pushing her away?

And that was where the worry kicked in. The paranoia.

What if he was seeing somebody else? Lately, he'd been acting so cold towards her. Yes, he kissed her and held her hand, but it was like he didn't _see_ her. Like he was staring straight through her. It'd been that way since his birthday, if she was being completely honest. The day he turned seventeen, it was like somebody flicked a switch inside him, making him a cold, unapproachable person. It'd been that way for nearly a year now.

It wasn't all bad, though. There were times when he _would_ see her. There were times when he would kiss her so passionately that her toes would curl and her heart would race. There were times when he would confide in her, telling her his deepest secrets. But the stress of having his father breathing down his neck was too much for her boyfriend to handle. She'd tried telling him to tell his father to back off, but it resulted in her being ignored for the rest of the day.

She had no idea what to do to help him, or what to do to help herself, as his cold mask was truly beginning to get to her. Some nights, she wouldn't even be able to sleep because of the fear that was clawing at her. What if, one day, he decided to end it all? Five years of their lives spent together – it all would've been for nothing.

Despite the unhealthy relationship, their five year anniversary was a few short months away and she had been planning on what do to for a while now.

His parents had a beach house that had its own private part of the beach. She'd been there once before and it was so peaceful out there – somewhere they were able to relax and be alone, even with his watchful parents and older brother hanging around at the time. Spending their anniversary weekend there would surely bring the spark back, right? She'd already spoken with his mother about it. One thing she had always been able to do was open up to the older woman, so when his mother heard of their difficulties and admitted her own personal worries of how closed off her son was becoming, she'd been more than willing to hand the keys over, as long as she promised to take full responsibility for anything that happened.

She was determined to do whatever was necessary to save their relationship. There wasn't a chance in hell that she was letting it go to waste. Not after so much time together. That was what a real relationship was about, right? Endurance and the determination to work through their problems?

But… She didn't want it to have to lead to sex for Sasuke to notice her. Why couldn't he just see her for who she was? There had to have been a reason why he asked her out in the first place, right? At the tender age of twelve (going on thirteen) and the fact her boyfriend was none other than Uchiha Sasuke, she seriously doubted he'd had sex on the brain. He simply wasn't that kind of person.

Hopefully, the weekend away would bring them closer together again. No friends, no phones and no distractions. Just them.

Gods, she sounded like a clingy, possessive girlfriend. But she wasn't. She just wanted her boyfriend back.

She missed him.

She missed him a lot.

* * *

"How can you still be working on those, Sakura?" came the angered snap of her supervisor. "You should be on the other half of the store by now."

Sighing with annoyance, she continued folding the clothes, placing them in their rightful places. "The customers keep-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses. Just hurry up."

With that, the middle aged blonde stomped away, already halfway through another snarl at a different colleague.

Unfortunately for her, she didn't come from a massively wealthy family who had more money than they could spend. No, she wasn't poor, but she wasn't rich, either. Haruno Sakura lived with her parents in a fairly large four bedroom house and they both had respectable jobs that allowed them to pay the mortgage and other bills, as well as buy groceries. However, if Sakura wanted spending money outside her agreed allowance, then it had to be earned. Her father didn't mind slipping her the odd note every now and then, but if she wanted more, she had to go to work.

Usually, she didn't mind working. Money was money. However, when it was one of the hottest days of the year so far (something she said nearly every day when it went even half a degree hotter than the day before) and she had her bitchy supervisor complaining about everything and anything, Sakura found herself hating her luck.

While it was usually busy, the store was busier than ever due to the high temperature. Summer was starting, meaning it was time for everyone to update their wardrobes. It made for a stuffy work environment, though she supposed it could have been worse. She could've been stuck monitoring the changing rooms. Just the thought had her shuddering.

Holding back a groan as she decided it would be best to quicken her pace, Sakura stood up straight once the piles of shirts were sorted and brushed down her uniform. It was a plain uniform consisting of black trousers, a black blouse and black flats (usually there was a sweatshirt with the store's logo on the back, but because of the heat, they didn't have to wear it). The only dash of colour to her otherwise dull outfit was the flat lanyard hanging around her neck to hold her I.D badge. It was red in colour with the store's name in white, bold capital letters across the material.

"Sakura."

The familiar voice had her eyes widening and she turned to face her boyfriend, smiling. "What are you doing here, Sasuke-kun?"

He stood out sharply compared to the store, which was known for its cheap prices. Uchiha Sasuke did not wear cheap clothing – his mother would blanch at just the thought. "Your lunch is in five minute, isn't it?" She nodded, surprised that it was that time already. "I'll wait for you outside."

It had always been that way with him, she noted with an inward pout. He didn't ask, he stated. He didn't request, he demanded. There _were_ moments when he could be sweet and caring, but they were rare and usually only when they were alone with little chance of anybody else hearing or seeing him acting in such a way. As Sakura watched him walk away, she frowned to herself, but quickly got back to work, eager to finish the first half of her shift. Unless he was already busy, he always treated her to lunch, although she was certain it was only because his mother told him to.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Sakura glanced over her shoulder and seeing that it was a customer, she smiled politely. "Hello, sir. How can I help?"

"I could really use a woman's opinion," he admitted with a faint blush and looked to a couple of outfits he'd hung up. "My one year anniversary with my girlfriend is coming up and I have no idea what to get her."

That was the kind of guy Sakura wished Sasuke could be, as terrible as that sounded. It was harsh of her to compare the two, as she was supposed to love Sasuke for who he was, but the guy she was helping was there because he wanted to be. There was a genuine, happy smile on his face as he filled her in on his girlfriend's preferences and the type of clothing she often wore. Did Sasuke even take notice in her style? Sakura doubted it.

"I think I know the perfect dress for your anniversary," she said with a smile, gesturing for the man to follow her. "It came in just this morning, too."

As she showed him the dress, Sakura had to bite the inside of her cheek at the bright smile on his face, at how he exclaimed that she would love it. As she searched through the sizes for him, he told her how he didn't really enjoy shopping, but "would do anything for his girl". Would Sasuke do the same for her? Probably not. He didn't like going shopping with her, let alone for her.

"Thank you so much, Haruno-san," he told her after peering at her badge. "You are a lifesaver."

Lifesaver. The exaggeration had her smiling. One day, she hoped she really would be a lifesaver. Having already applied to several medical universities, Sakura hoped that someday, she would become a renowned doctor. If it weren't for her job taking up a great deal of her spare time, she would have volunteered at the hospital. It wasn't the prettiest of jobs, but it was so rewarding, not to mention it looked good on applications. But she needed the money too much.

Glancing down at her watch, Sakura cursed. It had taken much longer than she'd anticipated helping the man, and she was late for her lunch break. Rushing to the staff room, she smiled at her supervisor – who was in the process of serving customers and unable to criticise her further – and informed her where she was going.

Fortunately, Sasuke was still waiting for her outside. Leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, he appeared calm and uncaring, briefly glancing in her direction and squinting when the sun threatened to blind him. Making the sight that much better, his phone was nowhere to be seen, either. No phone meant she would have his full attention.

"Hey," she said, coming to a stop by his side.

"Where do you want to go?"

To the point, as usual. "It's too hot for anything warm. How about we just get a sandwich or a salad?"

She would have preferred ice cream because of the hot weather, but Sasuke didn't like sweets and she was supposed to be on a diet (Sakura would never admit it, but she had broken said diet plan about five times and had only been on it for three days).

Nodding, he wordlessly pushed away from the wall and grabbed her hand, leading the way. One thing Sakura had never failed to notice were the envious stares that would follow them around. After all, her boyfriend had many fan-girls. Some didn't mind her, others hated her. And she enjoyed making them all jealous because _he chose her._

"A guy came into the store just after you," Sakura told him conversationally as they walked to the nearest sandwich store. Secretly, she was hoping Sasuke would catch the hint in her words. He never usually did, though. "He was looking for a gift for his one year anniversary with his girlfriend. It was sweet, really. He couldn't stop smiling when I helped him find the perfect dress." When all she received was silence, Sakura pushed on, refusing to be disheartened. "He's planning on surprising her, you know. He bought her an entire outfit and said he's planning on leaving it on her bed with a note telling her to wear it. She has no idea what he has in store for her."

"I've done that for you before." Dark eyes narrowed fractionally as he glanced over his shoulder at her. "Several times."

"I know." It'd been years since he'd done anything like that. In fact, the last time Sasuke had done that for her was back when they were fifteen. She was now eighteen. "I'm just saying it's sweet of him."

Again, there was silence and it remained that way until they reached the sandwich bar. It was pretty crowded, but somehow, they managed to get a table outside. The table was towards the left of the bar, allowing them to watch the shoppers as they rushed under the unforgiving sun. After ten minutes had passed, their food and drinks were brought to them.

"Itachi is coming home next week."

Well, she hadn't been expecting that. Itachi was Sasuke's older brother and he'd been away at university for years, studying one degree after another. It was rare of him to visit during the holidays, which was why she was so surprised to hear of his permanent return. "Are you excited to see him again?"

For a few moments, Sasuke looked thoughtful as he stared down at his salad. The only reason he bought it was for the tomatoes – he'd actually asked for extra helpings of them. "I don't know. I haven't spoken to him in nearly a year."

It wasn't because they'd had a fight or anything. They simply had nothing to say to one another. Kind of sad really, because she knew Sasuke was fond of his older brother. However, with Itachi being abroad and focusing hard on his studies, they hadn't really had the chance for a catch up and in response, they drifted apart. The only times the Uchiha family were able to see Itachi was when _they_ went to visit _him_, as Itachi was apparently way too busy to return to Konoha. It didn't surprise Sakura, though. In all the time she'd known the family, their father had always pushed Itachi much, _much_ harder than he had ever pushed Sasuke.

It would be good to see him – it'd been years. In fact, the last time she saw him was probably during the family's vacation at the beach house when she and Sasuke were fourteen. Gods, it had been a while, hadn't it? Before he left for university, he'd always been around.

"Maybe you can finally spend some time together?"

Sasuke nodded once and looked up to her. "There's a party next week. Mother decided to throw a 'welcome home' party for him."

That was Sasuke's way of asking her to go with him. However, for once, she wanted him to actually ask her. Looking down at her sandwich, Sakura picked at it, taking the small piece into her mouth and chewing slowly. "I see," she mumbled after swallowing. To make it obvious she wouldn't be saying any more, she sipped her drink, sighing as the fizzy, cold liquid soothed her dry throat.

"Sakura."

She bit back a smile as she looked up at him. That was easier than she'd thought. "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

There was a faint blush on his cheeks and she knew it was because she was forcing him to say the words. "Will you accompany me?"

"As your date?" she purred, lowering the sandwich and smirking at him. It was always a great feeling whenever she managed to make him blush or nervous. Due to how rare it was to happen, it made her feel powerful. Was that weird?

"Yes," he said with a huff. "You know that's what I mean."

"Of course I will." She smiled brightly at him, pretence dropping. "What sort of party is it? Formal or casual?" He shrugged. "Sasuke-kun," she groaned. "I need to know what to wear. The last time you didn't tell me what sort of party your mother was throwing, I turned up in casual clothing when it was a formal dinner party."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I don't know what type of party it is, yet. Itachi only confirmed he was returning a couple of hours ago."

"Well, make sure you tell me as soon as you _do_ know." Despite her words, she made a mental note to call his mother.

"Right."


	2. You're Toxic, I'm Slipping Under

**Chapter 2**

**You're Toxic, I'm Slipping Under**

* * *

Although she'd done it several times in the space of a few minutes, Sakura once more turned to view every angle of her outfit, running her hands down her sides to smooth out the non-existent creases.

After her boyfriend (and his mother, just to be on the safe side) informed her it was semi-formal, she'd known exactly what outfit to go with: one she had her eye on for a while in the store she worked at, but never had a good enough reason to buy. The deep shade of green complemented her skin in such a way that it wasn't too much, allowing her to embrace her natural paleness without looking worryingly ill. Even in the harshest of temperatures, Sakura didn't tan much. At best, she would be a shade darker and that was only if she seriously risked her health to achieve the tan.

The dress fell to mid-thigh, accentuating her subtle curves until it flared out at the hips while also remaining reserved with its high neckline. Its lack of sleeves and the lace material was her favourite part of it, its simplicity stunning. To make it that much better, with her staff discount, it didn't put too great a dent in her savings and to go with the dress (because the only way to celebrate saving money was by spending more), she treated herself to a pair of heels.

It was only when she was certain she was presentable that Sakura slipped on the bracelet Sasuke bought for her sixteenth birthday, smiling down at it as she did so. She'd been worried when he first bought it, as any jewellery she owned soon grew discoloured and she'd feared she'd ruin the gift. However, that wasn't the case. It was just as sparkly as the day he presented it to her.

"Shoes, bracelet, bag, phone," Sakura murmured to herself, listing off everything she needed. "_Keys._"

She spun on her heel, reaching for the set of keys resting on the table beside her bed. The room was fairly large, enough to fit all the essentials in and more. Her furniture was made of the same shabby chic wood, contrasting nicely with the laminated flooring and pale walls. Sasuke often said that it was typically girly, much to her annoyance, though he _did_ admit she had a decent collection of books and movies that he admired.

With one last look in the mirror, ensuring her makeup and hair was _just so_, she left the room. There was no one home since it was midday, meaning her mother was out for dinner with friends while her father was working.

Like the other day while she was working: the weather was hot, but there was a breeze that worked hard to keep her cool as she left the house, locking up behind herself. For a moment, she struggled with the lock, her hair obscuring the view as it was blown in front of her face. Sighing irritably, she brushed it behind her ear, giving the key and handle a simultaneous shake. Stupid thing was always getting jammed when it was hot. Once it was locked, she turned to face her red Clio, which, might she add, was parked elegantly on the drive – unlike her mother's car, which was wonky and filthy. Sakura, however, took pride in her car. It was one of the greatest gifts she'd ever received and up until she decided to leave home, her parents had offered to pay the insurance as it was easy having her added to their policy.

The drive was long, like it always was, but it gave her the chance to enjoy the music being played on the radio, singing along loudly. Due to their status, the Uchiha family lived on the wealthier side of Konoha, where all the oversized houses were spaced out ridiculously and every one of them had a pool and several acres of land. Saying that, her parents had a hot tub in the garden, but Sakura rarely used it unless she was in serious need of relaxing or simply wanted to show it off. The novelty of having something like that didn't last long. Both she and Ino had grown tired of it only weeks after they bought it.

When she arrived, the house appeared to look as normal as it possibly could on the outside, which only went to prove that the party was a surprise for Itachi. None of the other guests had arrived yet, from what she could tell, but that wasn't too much of a surprise. She'd turned up an hour early so that she could help Mikoto with last minute arrangements.

"You don't have to knock," Sasuke muttered with a roll of his eyes when he opened the door to her. "Mother has told you that many times."

It didn't feel right inviting herself in, however, so Sakura never paid the older woman any attention.

Stepping into the home, she smiled and once the door was shut, she grabbed his wrist and tugged Sasuke towards her. He didn't stop her. In fact, he initiated the kiss despite her pulling him closer, his lips moving with hers softly, tenderly. The hand on her hips dragged her that little bit closer and in response, Sakura had to tilt her head back further due to the height difference. Her previous smile returned briefly, arms coming around his shoulders. The Sasuke she was kissing, was the version of Sasuke she loved most. The open one. The warm, loving one. It was a side of him that he didn't show that often and whenever he did, Sakura made sure to take advantage of every single moment together, for she never knew when he would treat her so nicely again.

No, Sasuke never treated her badly, it was just that he could be so cold and distant sometimes that it hurt her.

A flash of a camera separated them quickly.

"You don't have to stop." Mikoto smirked as she turned away and walked back to the kitchen, camera in hand. "I simply had to capture the cute moment. It reminded me of your first dance together."

Sasuke's cheeks burned brighter than she'd seen in a while, making Sakura smirk widely. She'd long grown used to Mikoto's ways – all the woman really wanted was to see her children happy. Sasuke's sudden coldness as of late didn't only affect her, it affected his family, too. It broke his mother's heart. So, together, they both worked hard to try and drag him out of his shell.

"I'm going to help set up," she informed her boyfriend, leaving him in his embarrassment.

The Uchiha home was excessive to say the least, but it had always fascinated her. Every so often – about a year or so, depending on when Mikoto grew tired of the style – it would be redecorated, sometimes even redesigned entirely (including tearing down walls or adding them, etc). Who could really blame her for it, though? The family had earned their money, their home was spacious and she was an interior designer. It was the kind of home Sakura had often dreamed about living in as a child, filled with expensive furniture and ornaments, everything holding a purpose in the way they were carefully placed. To add more of a personal touch to their luxurious home, family photographs hung on the panelled walls and Sakura knew they were littered throughout the house. Mikoto was proud of her boys and loved them both dearly, so she enjoyed boasting about them to her guests.

"Do you need help with anything, Mikoto-san?" she asked while entering the large kitchen. It had always reminded her of one of the kitchens out of a commercial. Saying that, most of the rooms in the house gave her that feeling.

Appearing thoughtful for a moment, Mikoto replied, "The caterers have already set up outside. The weather has been wonderful as of late, so I decided to host the party in the garden."

Oh, that sounded like a good idea. Their garden was half grass, half paving and complete with a pond filled with koi. Further into the garden, down the stairs, was a pool, which was surrounded by sun loungers for the guests to relax in. Damn it, she should have brought a swimming costume. "The breeze will help keep everyone cool, too."

The older woman nodded and smiled, adding the final touches to a cake. "I can't think of much else to do – we have added a gazebo and several tables for the guests to eat at, which were all set up by the waiters. I have taken a risk and allowed one of Sasuke's friends to DJ for the party – Sasuke assured me I will have nothing to worry about. The drinks are also supplied by the caterers."

So there really was nothing for her to do. Great. Why had she arrived so early? Then again, she should have known that Mikoto would hire people to help them. No expense would be spared, especially not when the party was being thrown for her son.

Deciding there was nothing for her to do in the house, Sakura made her way to the garden, breathing in the tantalising smells of the food as it was prepared. While Mikoto hadn't informed her what food they were serving, it became obvious that it was a BBQ, much to her delight. The sight of the gazebo had her wondering if it was truly necessary for it to be so large, but upon closer inspection, she found their were several buffet tables filled with different foods, giving the guests a variety to choose from.

The sun would soon be directly above the garden, bathing them all in its warmth and giving the party just what it needed to make it perfect. Fortunately for her, since she was wearing heels, the tables and chairs were on the paving, along with the gazebo. It was odd that Mikoto hadn't warned her guests that the party would be outdoors, though she supposed she was excited about her son's return, so probably forgot.

Soon enough, the guests started to arrive and as they did, the waiters began making their rounds with trays filled with drinks. Sakura drank two glasses of icy lemonade while watching the arrivals, wondering who some of the guests were and how they knew Itachi. It seemed Mikoto had invited many of Sasuke's friends, too.

Speaking of Sasuke, where had he gone? Sipping her third lemonade, she eyed the garden. The guests were dressed smartly and Sakura was glad to spot that she wasn't the only woman wearing heels, eyeing the grass with disdain as they found themselves trapped on the paving. There was nothing worse than being overdressed at a party.

"Hello."

Blinking in surprise, for the person had seemingly appeared out of nowhere (unless she was seriously zoned out without realising), Sakura replied, "Hey."

It wasn't somebody she knew. At least, Sakura didn't think she'd ever met him before. Surely she would remember a man like him? His dusty red hair was hardly unrecognisable and neither were his brown eyes, for they were lidded with a boredom that never seemed to let up. Kind of rude, really. He could have at least _tried_ to look interested in the party. Mikoto had worked so hard on it.

"My name is Sasori," he told her, but just as he opened his mouth to say more, somebody else appeared beside her.

"Sakura, Mother wants your help with something in the kitchen."

The sudden act of possessiveness had her blushing faintly and while Sakura knew it wasn't behaviour she was supposed to encourage, it kind of made her feel excited. He was staring at Sasori with a narrowed gaze, his dark eyes intimidating. However, it didn't seem like Sasori was bothered in the slightest. That bored expression was still present.

"Really? I thought everything was already set up?"

The look she was given was unimpressed to say the least and deciding he'd had enough, Sasuke grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Sasori, quite honestly surprising her. Never before had he ever acted in such a way. Why was he so determined on keeping her away from Sasori? Was it really just possessiveness?

When they were out of earshot of the other guests and hidden in the living room, Sasuke finally released her. "Stay away from him, Sakura."

"Are you serious?" she demanded, indignant. "He was only introducing himself, Sasuke-kun. It's a _party_. You may not be one to socialise, but I am. Sasori-san may be, too."

"Sasori happens to be one of Itachi's friends," he told her, voice flat. "And not the kind of person you want to screw around with. Stay away from him."

Folding her arms over her chest, she pursed her lips, staring at him with narrowing eyes. "If Sasori-san is really such a bad person, why would your mother invite him into her home?"

It was obvious he was quickly losing his temper. "Are you not listening to me? He's _Itachi's_ friend and has been for years. This is _Itachi's_ party. She's doing all of this for _him_, not for herself. If Mother believes that Itachi would be grateful to have his friends here, despite who they are, she would invite them without a second thought."

That did sound like Mikoto. Always putting her boys' happiness before her own. "Okay," she said with a sigh. Dropping her arms to her sides to show her resignation, she added, "I'll stay away from him. Anyone else I should be wary of?"

"All of Itachi's friends. None of them are to be trusted."

Gods, her boyfriend was so dramatic. "Fine."

Just as she turned away to go back to the party, Sasuke grabbed her wrist. "I'm being serious, Sakura. They're not the kind of people you should get involved with."

"And I won't get involved with them." Her annoyance was growing by the second as she yanked her arm free. "Really, Sasuke-kun. You don't have to be so worried."

She walked away, sending him a glare – one that increased in strength when he shook his head at her in disbelief.

* * *

"Is he here yet?"

Glancing over at her best friend, Yamanaka Ino, Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes. For the past half hour, the blonde had been in and out of the bathroom every couple of minutes to check her hair and makeup, wanting to look perfect for Itachi's return. Yes, she would admit to putting an unhealthy amount of time and effort into her appearance for Sasuke, but he was her boyfriend. Ino only knew Itachi as Sasuke's hot older brother.

Was it sad that part of her was always paranoid about Ino being around Sasuke? Gods, she was such a terrible friend. Ino was her best friend, yet she couldn't trust her around her boyfriend. But that was just the point. She _knew_ Ino because of how close they were. For pretty much her entire life, the blonde had had a huge crush on Sasuke, had declared that she was in love with him – a love that would never die, to be more exact. It was humiliating to admit, but Sakura had been no different back when she was a kid, but she mellowed out once she and Sasuke become friends. A year later and they were dating.

And Ino was pissed.

However, at the time, Sakura had been too happy, too thrilled, to care about Ino's anger. All that ran through her mind was, "He's mine, he's mine, he's mine." If she thought about it now, she knew that it'd been selfish for her to go out with him, especially since she and Ino were supposed to be best friends. Now, she was too in love with him for any other option. Besides, Ino got her own back by continuing to shamelessly flirt with him, no matter how angry it made Sakura. The angrier, the better, it seemed.

"No. People would be yelling 'welcome home' if he was, Ino-Pig."

"Whatever," she snapped, running her hands down her sides. The dress clung to her body nicely, making Sakura feel self-conscious as she caught sight of her own body from the reflection of the windows. "You're just jealous that you're stuck with Sasuke-kun now, whereas I'm going to have the older, more experienced and _hotter_ brother."

"And what makes you think my brother is a man-whore?"

"Well, because-" The blonde's mouth snapped shut as she finally realised Sasuke had joined them at some point, looking slightly annoyed. "Sasuke-kun," exclaimed Ino, hand going to her ample chest. "You need to stop sneaking up on people like that."

Yes, he really did. Sakura looked up at her boyfriend, frowning at the distaste in his eyes. He disliked being compared to Itachi and having Ino say that his brother was the better version was no doubt driving him insane.

"Ino." Sakura couldn't help but wince at the smirk on Sasuke's face – the look meant he was about to do something cruel. "Itachi hates the colour purple."

The devastated expression on Ino's face made Sakura feel bad for her friend. It really did. However, she kind of asked for it by comparing the two brothers, because even Naruto knew that Sasuke didn't appreciate it – and he was totally clueless.

"_They're here_," came the yell of their friend, Naruto. He ran excitedly into the garden, arms flailing to capture everyone's attention. "Quick, everyone hide!"

Instead of hiding, they stared at him blankly.

"Where the hell are we all supposed to hide?" she demanded, hand settling on her hip.

Noticing the dilemma, he grinned sheepishly. "Okay, okay, but we still have to yell 'welcome back' really loud."

With that, he ran to stand beside a group of their friends from school: Kiba, Sai and Shikamaru, shoving an elbow into the latter's side to wake him up.

It was then, as the music died down and the guests grew silent, that they heard the sound of Shisui talking. They wouldn't be able to hear them walking through the house considering they would be barefoot or wearing slippers, but they could tell when they were close due to the opening of the door to the room that led to the garden.

"_I think your mother is outside,"_ said Shisui and they heard what sounded like a clap on the back. "_Go say hello to her – she's missed you."_

"_Welcome home!"_

Itachi came to an abrupt halt at the doors, blinking in surprise at the loud yells that greeted him the moment he came into view. The sight of his startled expression had many grinning and behind him, Shisui gave him a gentle push into the garden.

"I'm glad you're home," Mikoto told her son, smiling at him warmly.

Standing off to the side with her boyfriend, Sakura watched in awe as Itachi made his way around the guests, greeting and thanking everyone who had come to welcome him home. It'd been so long since she last saw him. His hair was longer, reaching the middle of his back and there was an air of superiority about him, one that brought Ino's words of Itachi being the more experienced of the two brothers to the front of her mind – though, she had to admit, she wasn't thinking about the same kind of experience as Ino. She meant life experience, going from the clips of conversation she heard. He seemed wiser, if that was possible.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your brother?" asked Sakura with a frown as she looked over to him. He was leaning back against the wall of the house, looking as though he hadn't a care in the world. Her boyfriend had never really been the life of the party.

Sasuke shook his head, muttering, "I'll wait until he's spoken with everyone else first."

She could understand his reasoning, she supposed. If he spoke with his brother now, he would have no choice but to keep the conversation short so that he could go back to his rounds with the guests. They were there to see him, after all and welcome him home. In a way, Sakura felt sorry for him. The Itachi she'd known from a few years ago had been quiet and rarely spoke. Unless that changed during university?

It surprised her how similar he was to Sasuke in appearance – well, from a distance, anyway. There were a few differences in their appearances: Itachi was more tanned (probably from studying abroad), his hair was much longer and he had pronounced tear troughs. The latter two were definitely his most distinguishing features. Further surprising her, she soon began to notice the carefully composed features. Itachi knew when to smile, knew when to laugh at somebody's joke. He knew exactly when to appear attentive or intrigued in the conversation. That wasn't too surprising, however. According to stories she'd been told by Sasuke: he was stuck up. He didn't really care about anything other than himself and his studies.

Around half an hour later, just as Sakura was about to say something to Sasuke, he suddenly stood up straighter, leading her to smile softly when she saw Itachi approaching them. As much as he hated to admit it, she could tell he was eager to speak with his brother.

"Sasuke," he greeted with a nod, a small smile tugging at his lips. It was different from the way he'd smiled at his guests, she noticed. More genuine, perhaps?

"Itachi." Unlike Itachi, he didn't smile, but it was obvious by the way his shoulders relaxed that Sasuke was happy to see him. Then, almost like an afterthought, he added, "This is Haruno Sakura – I'm sure you remember her."

Trying not to look annoyed with the way Sasuke had so offhandedly introduced them, Sakura smiled politely at Itachi. "It's nice to see you again."

Once again, he nodded and smiled. "Of course I remember. Are you still together?"

"Yes."

Rolling her eyes at the predictable one word answer, she added, "Five years in three months."

"Five years?" he repeated with real surprise. "I'm surprised you haven't grown tired of my little brother."

She couldn't help but laugh at the annoyance in Sasuke's narrowed eyes. First at Itachi, then at her for laughing. "Believe me, there have been times."

His smile grew for several moments before simmering. "So, Sasuke. How have you been?"

"Fine," he answered, then added after a short pause, "And you?"

His brother chuckled at the dark look sent Sasuke's way by Sakura. "I've been well."

"How was university?" she asked after sending her boyfriend a second glare. Why was he being such a jerk? He was supposed to be excited about his brother's return.

"It was enjoyable, although I didn't have much time outside of studying." He didn't seem all too bothered by it. Then again, Itachi had never seemed like the type who hung out with friends all day long without doing anything worth his time. "Father thought it best to focus on my studies rather than making friends."

No change there, then. Sakura tried her best to hide her frown, but it was difficult. Even Sasuke didn't seem particularly fond of the thought of Itachi going several years without having any friends by his side. It was in the way his indifference dropped, eyebrows knitting together.

"But you did make some friends, right?"

"Of course," he assured him. "I may not have had time to spare, but I still made a few."

"Are you telling people about me again, Itachi-san?"

At the sight of a huge – and Sakura meant _huge_ – man whose skin was covered from head to toe in blue ink approaching them, Sakura tensed ever so slightly, for he was definitely intimidating. His sudden appearance was that much of a surprise that Sasuke discreetly wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her closer, making it obvious that he didn't like this friend of Itachi's, either. However, that didn't surprise her. The guy looked like a thug. A dangerous one.

No, it was wrong to judge people based on their appearances, she scolded herself. For all she knew, the guy was one of the nicest people she'd ever meet.

"He was," she replied before Itachi had the chance to. "Itachi-san was just telling us how you're both the best of friends." The dead pan that suddenly entered the older brother's features had the heavily tattooed man bursting into laughter, stunning and terrifying her with the fact his teeth had been sharpened. "Oh? Was I not supposed to tell him that, Itachi-san? Sasuke-kun often likes to pretend that he's not best friends with Naruto, so…"

The tightening of the arm around her waist was a warning, one that had her falling silent. It was Sasuke's way of telling her she was talking too much and being annoying.

"Men do not admit to being the 'best of friends', Sakura-san," Itachi informed her with a sigh. Gesturing to the man beside him who was towering over them all with his impressive height, he said, "Sasuke, Sakura-san, this is Kisame-san. Kisame-san, this is-"

"The little brother I've heard so much about," Kisame stated with a grin.

The way Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction told Sakura that that tiny piece of information alone made him happy. It was probably the thought of his older brother telling people about him, believing there was something to be proud of.

"Yes," he replied without pause. "I-"

"_Sakura-chan!"_

The voice had her head dropping onto Sasuke's shoulder with a groan and she tried her best to ignore the blond who was barrelling towards them. There was a grin on Naruto's face, so wide that his eyes looked pretty much closed. He was an amazing friend to her, but sometimes, he was way too overbearing. Due to being so much taller than her now, Naruto made it his personal mission to remind her of it all the damn time, as she'd constantly teased him when they were younger because he was so short. And by reminding her, she meant he went out of his way to prove he was now the one who was physically superior. That involved, and was not limited to, picking her up (to prove he didn't struggle with it), dragging her places (to prove he was strong enough to drag her around) and throwing his arm over her shoulders or placing it on top of her head (to make the height difference known).

"Hey, Itachi. Welcome back," he said in a rush before grabbing Sakura's hand, ignoring the glare sent his way by Sasuke. When the younger Uchiha wouldn't release her and Sakura continued to hold onto him, Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed Sasuke's arm, forcefully removing it from around her waist. It was only when she was free that he grinned that wild grin of his. "Are you ready?"

Seeing it made Sasuke's eyes go wide. "Naruto, don't-"

But he didn't listen, wasting no time in stooping low and throwing Sakura over his shoulder, laughing loudly at the shriek he received in response. Oh, the nerve he had. She was going to strange him when he put her down. No, she was going to do more than that. She was going to annihilate him.

"Put me down!"

More hands were suddenly grabbing at her, the feeling of Sasuke yanking her dress down making her blood run cold.

"Oi, get off, you bastard. I wanna dance with Sakura-chan."

"Naruto-"

"Naruto," he snapped with more venom in his voice. "Put her down."

"Why?" he whined, tightening his hold on her thighs. At least the dress was trapped beneath his arm now. "I'll bring her back by midnight. Can't promise she won't be exhausted, if you know what I mean."

Oh, that damned, perverted bastard was going to die a horrifically painful death. It didn't help that his proud words had Kisame laughing.

"Know the time and place, idiot," snarled her boyfriend, who was still fighting to take her back from him. Hissing much lower so that only the two of them would hear, he said, "She's wearing a short dress. What the hell do you think that means?"

The tensing of the muscles beneath her told her he'd caught on. It was soon followed by his whimper of, "S-Sasuke." It didn't help his fear any when she began shaking with her rage, because while he was physically stronger than she was, she was scarier. "Before I die, just know that I blame you for all of this – oh and it was me who spilled ramen on your bed."

Oh God, what must the others think of her? Was it stupid of her to hope that Naruto would have behaved for just _one freaking day?_

"Naruto," she spat out through clenched teeth. They were probably attracting so much attention. "Why are you still carrying me?"

His fear doubled. She could feel it in his locked muscles. "Because… Because if I put you down now, y-you're going to kill me."

Yes, yes she was. "And how is continuing to carry me when my underwear is on show going to help?"

He knew it wouldn't, but she also knew that he was too scared to put her down. His head turned to the side, probably looking to the others for support. They mustn't have offered him any help, because he whimpered again. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

"_Put me down._"

It was slowly and reluctantly that he did so and once Sakura's feet touched the ground and she was standing straight, she made sure to give him her scariest glare yet, her pride gaining a boost when he took a wary step back.

"Where do you think you're going?" she questioned softly, nodding her thanks to her boyfriend.

"Heh." He was grinning sheepishly again, scratching the back of his head. "I just remembered that Shikamaru asked me to…"

"To what?"

"Uh…"

"Naruto?"

His expression pleaded with her to go easy on him and when he spoke, his voice was an octave higher than usual. "S-Sakura-chan?"

Her eyes narrowed. She had no intention of going easy on him. He had to learn his lesson for embarrassing the hell out of her. "Run."

So he did, almost knocking people over as he fled.

Leaning down and using Sasuke's arm to keep her balance, she slipped her heels off, pretending not to notice the four inches difference in her height. "Please will you look after my shoes for me, Sasuke-kun?"

Of course he gave the shoes a death glare. "Can't you ask Ino-"

"No. She'll end up borrowing them and I'll never see them again."

"Fine," he grumbled, snatching the heels out of her hands. "I'll put them in my bedroom."

Smiling, she stepped onto her tiptoes and gave him a peck on his cheek before flashing Itachi and Kisame an impish smile, dashing off after Naruto. They could tell when she caught up to him because of the suddenly loud yelp that seemed to echo around the house and garden.

* * *

"Oh, you don't need to stay and tidy, Sakura-chan," Mikoto told her. "You already helped set up."

Not that there was much for her to do during the set-up process. It was all pretty much done by the time she arrived. The least she could do was clean the dishes they'd used when the party died down – not the ones from the BBQ, but the ones Mikoto used to give everyone some of the cake she made.

After the incident with Naruto, Sakura had made sure to steer clear of both Itachi and Kisame. She was way too embarrassed to see them any time soon, even though Sasuke assured her they hadn't seen her underwear thanks to his quick actions. She needn't have worried, as Itachi was busy speaking with his guests once more and Kisame stayed with one group. It was a group she wasn't allowed to speak with: Itachi's friends.

"I don't mind." Besides, it was the least she could do after Naruto had broken one of Mikoto's picture frames. Sure, she was partly to blame as she'd been the one who punched him into it, but still. It was his head that broke it.

"I will call Sasuke to give you a hand," the woman said with a sigh, knowing there was no use in arguing. They were similar in that they were both stubborn.

At her words, the kitchen door opened and Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see who had entered, only to blanch at the sight of Itachi. His hands were full with dirty dishes from the desserts.

"There is no need for that, Mother. I will help Sakura-san."

For a moment, Sakura was stunned into silence. Given the fact it'd been years since she last spoke with him, she'd been going off the stories Sasuke had told her about Itachi, leading her to believe he was arrogant and proud. But if that was true, then why was he offering to help her out with such a mundane task? From what Sasuke had been telling her, Itachi was stuck up and believed himself to be better than everyone.

"It's fine. I don't need any-"

Mikoto smiled warmly at her son, interrupting Sakura. "Thank you, Itachi. I'm sure Sakura-chan will appreciate your help."

He merely nodded before making his way over to the sink where Sakura was currently stood, placing the dishes down beside it.

"I will dry," he murmured, grabbing the towel. She wondered if he even remembered where everything went, as he hadn't been home in years and it was redecorated several times.

Unable to find her voice as Mikoto left the kitchen, she nodded and got to work with washing the dishes. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate his offer, even though she accidentally came across as such. She simply wanted to avoid the awkward silence. Earlier, with Sasuke around, it was easier to talk because they had someone to help fill the silence, or giving them ideas on what to discuss. That wasn't mentioning the fact that he more than likely saw her underwear a few hours ago.

Gods, what was she supposed to say? The silence was so strange. She had never really had a problem speaking with people before – she worked in a customer based job.

"May I ask you something, Sakura-san?"

She looked up at him, surprised that he would be the one to initiate the conversation. He didn't look at her as he spoke, instead focusing on his drying. "Sure."

"Earlier today, I noticed how you stopped speaking after Sasuke gave you a warning. Does he do that often?"

The casual way he asked the question shocked her, but what surprised her more was the fact he'd even noticed it. His warning squeeze had been subtle, could have been passed off as him merely wanting to bring her closer. How had he noticed that? "Uh… I guess so. But I _was_ speaking too much and-"

"Sakura-san," he said seriously, turning his head to the side, regarding her silently for a moment before he continued, saying, "Do not allow my brother to control you. You are not his pet who must obey his every order, you are a person."

His words made her bristle for unknown reasons. Was it the truth behind the words? Was it because of how they made her feel about herself? It wasn't like she didn't know the relationship was unhealthy, because she did. It also occurred to her that being in a controlling relationship was damaging. But… she loved him.

"It's easier just to do what he says," she groaned with a roll of her eyes. "Trust me, Sasuke-kun can complain more than Naruto when he doesn't get his own way."

He hummed. "That may be so, but you should stand up for yourself next time, otherwise he will always try to control you."

Deciding she had no answer to that, she remained silent, angrily scrubbing away at the plate in her hands. His words hit too close to home for her liking – the best thing to do was to ignore him. After all, when you loved someone, you sacrificed a lot for them. If relinquishing control made their relationship easier, then why not?

It was normal, right?


	3. And You Still Won't Hear Me

**Chapter 3**

**And You Still Won't Hear Me**

* * *

Itachi's words played on her mind a lot in the following weeks. Was it strange that she was so caught up on them? No, she didn't believe it was. What he was insinuating was… Well, it wasn't really insinuating, was it? It was true. Sasuke _did_ like to control her. Noticing that, Itachi had tried to offer her some friendly advice that would prevent her from being a doormat. She simply… _Damn it._

It had been two weeks since the party and during those two weeks, Sakura had spoken with Itachi on several occasions, although it was usually only when she was invited over by Sasuke for dinner or something of the sort. There was never an opportunity to question him or try and defend her relationship, as Sasuke was always by her side whenever she happened to cross paths with the older brother. To mention it in front of her boyfriend would no doubt cause trouble and that was pointless. She didn't want the drama.

Somebody else she had barely spoken to since the party was her best friend, Ino. The blonde had tried her luck with Itachi, who – very politely, might she add – rejected her. Of course, it was all hers and Sasuke's fault, as they'd gotten it into her head that she didn't stand a chance with him, which had a massive impact on her confidence. Obviously, Sakura had argued that Itachi was five years older than them, meaning he probably didn't want to go out with a child. Her response?

"_A child?"_ she'd demanded, red in the face and shaking with her anger. "_At least I'm not some uptight bitch. Even your boyfriend is bored of you!"_

Oh, it'd stung. No, it had done more than that. For her best friend to say something like that, _knowing_ that she was attacking an insecurity was… It hurt. A lot.

"_It's just a falling out_," her mother had told her over breakfast the next morning, smiling. "_Everyone has them at school. You'll be friends again by next week, trust me."_

"_We were supposed to have graduated,"_ was all she'd argued with.

Friends again? It wasn't as simple as that. For the past year, Sakura had been the one keeping Ino from getting into trouble. When she was too drunk to control herself or look after herself, Sakura had always been there. It was her who was called at stupid o'clock in the morning, having to try and calm a sobbing Ino down over the phone because one thing or another had gone wrong. Sakura believed she had every right to feel betrayed by Ino's harsh words. Betrayed, angry and hurt. After everything she'd done for Ino, how the hell could the blonde turn around and say something like that to her? It was way out of line. Bringing up her relationship with Sasuke to insult her, knowing it was an insecurity of hers? Way too fucking far.

Sometimes, Sakura was certain that Ino still had feelings for Sasuke. It was the way she would look at him, the way she would hang on his every word. Not even a month ago, when the weather had started to get increasingly hot, Ino had actually turned up at his house _in a freaking bikini,_ bottle of sake in hand, asking if she could use his pool to cool off. Then, when she noticed Sakura was already there, had muttered under her breath, "_Give the guy room to breathe, will you?"_

Room to breathe? _Room to fucking breathe?_ And what sort of breathing was she talking about? The simple kind, or having him pant for breath as she fucked him? Sakura's fists clenched, shaking ever so slightly.

Luckily for her so-called friend, Fugaku had returned at that moment and told Sasuke that he would not have half naked girls running around his house, making it look like some kind of brothel. Oh, Gods she couldn't have been happier to hear those words. If looks could kill, Ino would've had him dead a thousand times over and it was _so worth it. _After all, what kind of friend did that? Ino had her problems – she knew she did and she did her best to sympathise with them. Sakura understood how difficult the past few months had been. But just because her parents were getting divorced, it didn't mean she had the right to lash out like that.

Ino hadn't always been a bad friend. Growing up, she was like the sister she never had. They'd been so close, always confiding in each other and having sleepovers. They'd been inseparable. When her parents announced their divorce, however, it broke something in her best friend. To her, she'd always viewed their relationship as perfect. They had refused to show the ugly side of their relationship in front of her, so it truly was like her entire world shattered when they told her of the divorce. Now, to numb the pain and mend her broken heart, she got drunk. And when she got drunk, she got mean.

Shoving the thoughts from her mind, Sakura sighed and grabbed her bags, making her way downstairs.

"See you tomorrow, Dad," she called. "Mama, are you ready?"

"Wait, tomorrow?" came her mother's startled response. Rounding the corner, she dried her hands on a towel, asking, "Where are we going?"

"Don't you remember?" When her mother's frown only deepened, Sakura groaned. She wasn't going to have to ask for permission again, was she? She was eighteen years old. She was technically an adult. "Sasuke-kun is taking me to the opening of the new amusement park tonight and we're going to stay there overnight. Naruto's coming, too. I already told you about it, remember? You offered to give me a ride to work so that Sasuke-kun can pick me up? We're taking his car tonight."

Sudden realisation had her waving a dismissive hand through the air. "Oh, I remember now. Sorry, Sakura." Placing the towel down on the stand by the door, she said, "Give me a few moments and I'll be ready."

* * *

Work had been a drag. As usual, her bitchy supervisor found more reasons to hate them all, yelling that their standards were awful and how they should be ashamed of themselves for the state the store was in. There was no arguing with her unless they wanted to lose their jobs, so they took the horrible comments without batting an eyelash. Many had quit because of it. It was simply the harsh reality of the world, was what an older woman told her. People weren't always nice.

Groaning, she threw her bags into the back of Sasuke's car and all but dragged herself into the passenger seat. She was so glad she didn't have to go back for a whole week – she'd booked a holiday at just the right time, it seemed.

"Can we take the back roads to Naruto's place? I'm too hot in this stupid uniform. It should give me enough time to change, right?"

As expected, dark eyes went wide, his car straying too far to the right until he quickly got a hold of himself, fixing his error. "Can't you wait until we get to Naruto's place?"

She pouted, not letting onto her ulterior motive. "But Jiraiya's staying there."

A sigh reached her ears and hearing it, Sakura inwardly grinned victoriously. If there was anyone who hated the thought of her being spied on while getting changed more than herself, it was Sasuke. He was so possessive. Seeing that side of him was pretty thrilling, as sad as it probably was to admit.

She turned in her seat, eyes skimming the back seat until she caught sight of her bag. There were four bags altogether. Two belonged to her, one was Sasuke's and the last one was… Naruto's? Just as Sakura began to question why it was already in the car, she realised why. Knowing Naruto, he would forget about bringing clean clothes and a toothbrush and anything else he'd need. All he would bring was his phone and money. It'd happened before on a camping trip and they'd had to drive four hours all the way back for his things.

Grabbing her bag, Sakura opened the zip and rummaged through it quickly, smiling as she found her shorts, shirt and a clean pair of socks. It was with great pleasure that she turned around, noticing that Sasuke was incredibly tense. So he _was_ affected by her? Why didn't he ever do anything about it, then?

It was quickly that Sakura kicked off her shoes and socks, leaving them on the floor as she raised her hips off the seat, leaning heavily against the backrest and using it as support while she unbuttoned her trousers. Smoothly, they slid down her thighs, revealing pale, toned legs which gained her a heavy swallow. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smirking. The plan was working. Already, she'd discovered that Sasuke wasn't unaffected by her. For some odd reason, he just didn't ever act on his attraction towards her. At least she knew what to do now if she ever wanted to get a rise out of him and strangely enough, it made her feel powerful. She had Sasuke _squirming_ in his seat.

Once her pants were removed, leaving her carefully chosen lacy underwear on display, Sakura took her precious time folding said trousers before grabbing her shoes and socks, placing them all on the back seat and giving Sasuke a decent view. In response, she felt the car pull to the left, mounting a kerb momentarily. There was a muttered curse, followed by the car suddenly pulling to the right, straightening up.

Never before had Sakura done anything to provoke Sasuke, but Ino's words continued to play in her mind, telling her that she was uptight, that her boyfriend was bored of her. It was the push she needed to do something crazy, which, from the looks of things, was going down well with her boyfriend, who repeatedly stole glances of her body when he thought she wasn't looking. Apparently even the great Uchiha Sasuke was ruled by hormones at some point in his life, too.

She wouldn't lie: being half naked in front of him made her nervous, but it was no different from the times he'd seen her in a bikini – at least, that was what she told herself. Taking a deep breath, Sakura began unbuttoning her shirt and she could've sworn she heard his breath catch. The feeling of being powerful doubled and she felt her cheeks grow warm.

"Sakura."

There was a growl to his voice, she noticed with glee. "Yeah, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hurry up and put your clothes on. We're almost there."

And then that happiness shattered. "…Right."

That wasn't what she'd planned on happening. She wasn't sure _what_ was supposed to happen, but it certainly wasn't that. He wasn't supposed to look down on her while telling her to put her clothes on.

Quickly, she yanked on her denim shorts, followed by a shirt of her favourite band, feeling idiotic for so much as entertaining the thought that her boyfriend could possibly be interested in her body. While she was leaning over to put on clean socks and her converse, Sakura allowed her hair to shield her expression from him, giving her a few moments to try and compose herself. Gods, she was so stupid. Why the hell did she have to listen to Ino? No, the blonde hadn't told her to go and strip for him, but she had told Sakura she was boring. What else was she supposed to do to try and add some spark to their relationship? Jump him?

Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair and fully opened her window. The breeze worked for getting rid of the blush on her cheeks, hiding the evidence that she was ashamed of herself. Despite cooling her down, however, it didn't take away the awful burn of rejection.

Didn't Sasuke like what he'd seen? She'd been so certain that he had. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe she wasn't thin enough? Was it because she didn't have big breasts? Were her hips too small? Was she too pale? Sakura bit her lip harshly, turning her head further away so that he couldn't see her. Growing up, she had always told herself that she was beautiful. That, despite her big forehead, she had an exotic appearance. That her bright green eyes were captivating and her pastel pink hair helped to make her stand out. What if that wasn't the case?

Was she really beginning to bore Sasuke?

The car pulled to a stop just as the question filled her mind, but it took her a few moments to realise they were at Naruto's house. It was a big place that was secluded, but that had never surprised her. His father was Namikaze Minato, a powerful politician who had the respect of thousands due to never backing down in his decisions or beliefs. If he wanted something to be legalised, it was going to happen. He was currently in the running for the next leader of Konoha and Sakura knew that, next year, he would achieve that status.

"Sakura."

"Mm?" she hummed.

"Look at me."

Reluctantly, she did so. It hurt to look into his eyes, though. "What is it? Do you want me to go and get Naruto?"

There must have been a certain expression on her face, because her boyfriend frowned. "Why are you upset?"

"I'm not." She frowned and looked away. The last thing she wanted to do was admit her shame.

It was with a roll of his eyes that Sasuke lifted his hand to her chin, forcing Sakura to look at him again. "You can't lie to me, Sakura. I know you too well. _Why_ are you upset?"

"It's nothing." The frown deepened, but that wasn't what betrayed her words. It was the shake in her voice. Gods, she hated that about herself. She hated being so weak emotionally. "Something Ino said is getting to me."

He scoffed. "You're letting something _she_ said to you, upset you? She's a drunk, Sakura. Ino obviously has problems of her own going on, so you shouldn't let anything she says get to you."

There was no stopping her sigh. He just didn't understand, did he? It was okay for him, because other than Rock Lee (and maybe Naruto every now and then, but he was usually only kidding around), no other guys took any notice in her, so he didn't have to worry about her running off with somebody else. Sasuke, on the other hand, was the hottest and most popular guy at their school (even though they had just graduated). Yes, she trusted him, but she didn't trust his fan-girls. She didn't even trust her best friend.

Hearing the sigh, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What did she say?"

"It's no-"

"Don't tell me it's nothing if you're going to sit there and sulk all day."

She nodded once in some form of apology, looking away again. "She told me that I'm uptight and that you're getting bored of me."

His eyes narrowed further, a flash of disbelief and, dare she say, hurt flitting over his features. "Which is why you decided to get changed in the car? To try and prove her wrong?" Sakura didn't answer. Couldn't find her voice. "If I was bored of you, Sakura, we wouldn't be together. You're not a whore like the other girls, so quit acting like one."

With that, he got out of the car and made his way up the drive, shoving his hands into his pockets, leaving her in a state of shock and hurt. Tears filled her eyes no matter how hard she fought against them and Sakura quickly ducked her head, willing herself to calm down, her hands shaking. But…

A whore.

He said she was acting like a whore.

* * *

On the way to the amusement park, they had to stop off for more gas and while Sasuke filled up his car, she and Naruto seized the opportunity to stock up on snacks for the rest of the drive. Already, they had been in the car for two hours and it would take another three and a half before they finally got there, meaning they just about had the time to check in at their hotel before the opening.

Much to their delight, the late night opening of the amusement park was open only to those sixteen and older – all the rides would be open all night, as well as several bars. There was also a club, which was obviously only for those over the age of eighteen. Sakura and Naruto _were_ eighteen, however, Sasuke was not. They were going to try and sneak in, but if that failed, they would still have the rides to enjoy.

"Oi, Sakura-chan." She looked up and saw the blond peering over the shelves of snacks from the other aisle. "What do you want?"

She _was_ supposed to be on a diet, but Sasuke's words had her breaking it once more. Damn it, she needed comfort food. "Get the cheesy ones."

"Big pack?"

"Yeah."

Knowing what brand was her favourite, Naruto dumped a couple of packets into his basket, doing the same for himself. "Chocolate?"

"Do I really need to answer that?"

He chuckled. "Guess not." Knowing what her favourite was, he grabbed several bars of it, mumbling that it was for tomorrow, too. "Water or cola?"

"Uh…" For a moment, she debated which would be best. If she was screwing up her diet, she may as well do it properly. Then again, it was a hot day. She needed to stay hydrated. "Both."

"So," he said conversationally while walking to the refrigerator. It wasn't until he had their drinks in the basket that he finally joined her on the magazine aisle, pulling his face at the thought of reading while on a road trip. "Are you gonna tell me what's up?"

"Aren't you getting anything for Sasuke-kun?" she asked, hoping to avoid the question.

"There's a couple of things in here for him. If he doesn't like it, the bastard can get his own snacks." Then, he shook his head, grin disappearing. "Oi, don't try changing the subject. What's up?"

Sakura supposed that was the downside to having friends that knew her so well. The second her mood slipped south, they clicked on and questioned her instantly. Even when it was obvious she wanted to be left alone, they continued to bug her about it until the sadness turned into frustration.

"It's been two weeks now since I've spoken to Ino, you know? And with school being over it's not like I can see her in the corridor. I'm just a little worried," she lied easily. "I heard that she went out with some new friends last weekend to a club and, well, I'm usually the one who looks after her, aren't I?" That one _wasn't_ a lie. Sakura was actually pretty worried, even though she was still hurting. Did it make her a bad person for not reaching out to her, though? "What if something bad happens to her?"

Sighing, Naruto shifted the basket into his other hand, his arm falling onto her shoulders. "Ino's not a kid, Sakura-chan. She can take care of herself. Now, are you going to tell me what's really bothering you or am I going to have to ask Sasuke?"

Green eyes went wide. Just the thought made her feel sick. "Naruto, don't. Please. Just… Just leave it alone, will you?"

"So it _was_ Sasuke," he muttered, frowning. "What did he do, Sakura-chan?"

"I said _leave it."_

With a growl of annoyance, she shrugged out of his hold and stormed out of the store, not sparing Sasuke a glance as she got into the car. All he responded with was the narrowing of his eyes as he finished filling up the car, replacing the pump and soon making his way to the store.

* * *

"I'm pretty hungry."

Even with his sunglasses on, Sakura could tell Sasuke was rolling his eyes as he replied, "You're always hungry."

Looking over her shoulder with a frown, she asked, "What happened to all those snacks?"

"I, uh…" Smiling sheepishly, he scratched the side of his face. "I already ate all mine."

"You better not have made a mess back there, idiot."

"Chill out, you control freak." Naruto smirked and Sakura tried her best to hold back her own at the angered look that flashed through Sasuke's features. Everyone knew that his car was like a child to him. "I used the bag as a bin."

She couldn't really blame Sasuke for being worried, not when entering Naruto's room was like entering a minefield. It was impossible to see his carpet due to the dirty clothes, rubbish and unidentifiable… _things_. The guy lived like a pig, sharing his bedroom with several different species of bugs as they crawled over his dirty dishes and empty food packets. It wasn't like his parents never told him to clean up, because they did – all the time, in fact. Naruto just never listened to them or, if he did and actually tidied up, then it would messy a few days later.

"I'm kind of hungry too, now that I'm thinking about it," mumbled Sakura, turning to look out of her window again as the highway sped by them. She hadn't eaten any of her snacks yet, deciding at the last moment to give her diet one last try.

For some reason, Naruto grinned at the words and leaned forward, causing them both to eye him warily from the corner of their eyes, especially when his grin grew sly. "Is there something you're not telling us, Sakura-chan?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she turned to face the two men and from the look on Sasuke's face, she could tell he was equally confused. "Well, you're emotional all the time and now you're hungry. Are you sure you're not pregnant?"

Sasuke's dark eyes went impossibly wide and his hold tightened on the steering wheel. She saw him steal a cautious glance at her, one that momentarily made her heart sink, but then she saw the minute shaking of his head, the one that all but pleaded with her not to lash out. Oh? So he was concerned for their safety? At least one of those idiots could see the building anger.

"Do I _look_ pregnant to you?" she questioned quietly, voice dangerously soft.

"Well, not really, but-"

The 'but' had her grabbing his face and upon realising what he'd been about to say, he paled, his fear palpable. "Do _not_ continue with that sentence," she warned. Any answer to that question was the wrong answer.

It was with a sigh that Sasuke indicated to leave the highway, immediately pulling into a restaurant's car park. No doubt the only reason why he chose to pull over being that a fight was about to break out beside him. Sakura knew he wouldn't do it simply because Naruto was hungry.

"McDonald's?" she asked with a frown, finally releasing Naruto's now red face. "Is there nowhere else?"

It was like the Gods were putting her through every test with the latest diet and she wasn't happy about it in the least. She _adored_ McDonald's and their sickeningly unhealthy food. That was why she didn't want to eat there – it was definitely going to break her.

"No," came his simple reply, already pulling the keys out of the ignition.

Sighing, she followed the two men out of the car, trying to ignore the awful growling of her stomach as she breathed in the smell of the food. Already, she was weak. She was going to cave. Damn it. She followed silently, trying her best to ignore Naruto as he threw his arm over her shoulders again.

"Maybe a double cheeseburger will cheer you up?"

Was her bad mood that obvious? Sakura bit her lip worriedly, glancing over her shoulder at her boyfriend. He stared back blankly in response, raising a questioning eyebrow. She faced forward as Naruto opened the door, almost yelling about what he was about to order. It wasn't like she meant to dampen the mood or anything, as they'd been looking forward to the amusement park's opening for weeks – she was genuinely upset. Sasuke had said that she was acting like a whore and to top it all off, he hadn't been affected by her seeing her half naked like she thought he had. It was killing her inside knowing that he didn't find her attractive.

What was wrong with her?

"Oi, look," came Naruto's sudden exclamation, pointing rudely towards a large table. "It's Itachi!"

Hearing Sasuke curse under his breath, Sakura followed their line of sight, holding back her own groan of embarrassment when everyone turned to face them in disapproval. Anyone who wasn't glaring, was laughing at him and she wasn't sure which was worse. Really, did he have to act like such an idiot?

It was automatically that her hand found the back of his head, hitting him. "Shut up."

"Look, they can see us," he said, undeterred. "Oi, Itachi!"

From across the room, she saw Itachi raise his head and sigh, more than likely deciding that he had no choice but to see what the commotion was all about. Sitting with him was a large group, many she recognised from his party. It was good to see him out with friends, she decided, remembering what he'd told her about being too busy for friends at university.

She smiled politely and was about to turn back to the queue when Naruto started dragging her along with him to their table, ignoring her startled squeal. He was more gentle in the way he urged her to sit beside another blond, though she didn't have his attention for long. Behind them, she noticed Sasuke reluctantly joining them, shoving Naruto out of the way when he moved to sit beside Sakura.

"Oi, bastard," the blond growled, but instead of causing another scene, he stood up and walked around to the other half of the table, dusting off his jean shorts. "Whatever. I'll sit next to Nagato."

Wait, Nagato? Sakura was surprised to find that she did, in fact, know three of Itachi's friends and smiled apologetically for not noticing them sooner. They all knew each other through Jiraiya, who was Naruto's perverted godfather. The two guys were called Nagato and Yahiko, while the woman was Konan. They weren't that close, but they did meet up every now and then to see how the other was doing. Apparently Nagato was also a distant relative of Naruto's mother, Kushina, though she wasn't entirely sure how they were related or if it even effected the two men.

Nagato gave Naruto a small smile as the blond squeezed in beside him. On his other side, Konan also smiled. "How are you doing, Naruto?" she asked, voice as soft as ever. "We haven't seen you in a while."

She was quickly out of the conversation when the man beside her asked, "You're Haruno Sakura, right?"

Strangely enough, he reminded her of Ino. While he had a brighter shade of blond hair (more like Naruto's than Ino's), the style of it reminded her so much of her friend, for his bangs covered a great deal of his face just like hers did. All she could really see of his features was a single, startingly blue eye and his lips.

"Yeah, have we met?"

"He was at the party, Sakura-san," Itachi informed her. He was sitting directly opposite her in the cramped space, seeming perfectly at ease despite the setting being odd for him.

"Oh." She blushed with embarrassment, making the man beside her laugh. She pretended not to notice the narrowing of Sasuke's eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I'm Deidara, yeah."

She felt so rude. Had they spoken at the party? Sakura couldn't remember, but she doubted it. She remembered saying hello to Sasori (who was sat on Deidara's other side) and Kisame (who was next to Itachi), but after that, she avoided Itachi's friends because according to her boyfriend, they were all bad people. Wait. Did that include Yahiko, Konan and Nagato? Sakura frowned and turned her head to the side, glancing up at him questioningly. _Why_ did he dislike Itachi's friends so much? Those three were definitely decent people – they had to be, to be associated with Jiraiya (despite the fact he was a huge pervert).

"I'm going to order," Sasuke stated. "Sakura, come with me."

Seeing the look in his eyes that he wanted to talk, Sakura nodded once and followed after him, smiling politely at the group. They already knew Naruto's order – hell, the entire restaurant knew _his_ order. As they left, she could feel their eyes on her back and it had her repeating Itachi's warning in her mind. Was that what they all thought? That she acted more like his obedient pet than his girlfriend? Since the party, Sakura had started notice all the ways she acted as such, but what was she supposed to do about it? Start disobeying and ignoring him? No. That wasn't what a respectable woman did. Right?

"What are you having?" he asked as they joined the queue once more. It wasn't as long as it had been moments before, much to her gratefulness.

"Uh." She grimaced, looking up at the menu. There was nothing she wanted more than to stuff her face with a cheeseburger, but… her diet. Inwardly sighing, she made up her mind, willing herself to stay strong. "I'll have the salad."

He gave her an odd look. "Salad? Again?"

She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal despite the fact her stomach was growling its arguments. "I've been trying out this-"

"Dieting," he said, suddenly catching on with a roll of his eyes. Then, she was pinned with a serious look, one that froze her in her spot. "You need to stop that. There's nothing wrong with your size."

Was… Was Sasuke complimenting her? Another blush stained her cheeks. "I'm not saying there is, I just want to lose a couple of pounds."

Without warning, his hand was tugging on her chin, the other falling to her waist to bring her closer. Once again, Sakura was left feeling stunned, as she knew her boyfriend despised public displays of affection. He didn't mind holding hands or putting an arm around her waist, but anything more than that was a major no-no to him. It made him uncomfortable. So why? Was he trying to make up for earlier? Had he realised how much he upset her? Was his act of gentleness his way of apologising?

"You don't need to lose any weight, Sakura," he murmured, lips ghosting over hers.

The hand on her waist slipped around to her lower back, making her blush. "S-Sasuke-kun?"

There was a smirk on his lips. It wasn't harsh, though. It seemed more like a smile – a genuine smile – and it only confused her further. "What?"

What was he doing? Being so openly affectionate, especially in a restaurant, wasn't his thing. He hated it. If he wanted to make things up with her, he could do it after when they were alone. Honestly, she didn't want him to make himself uncomfortable for her. Still, she didn't want to destroy the tender moment, so found herself replying with, "It's nothing." She smiled and it widened when he pressed his forehead to hers, the hand that had once been cupping her cheek moving to her hip. "I'm sorry for being moody all day."

"Ino always gets to you," he stated with a weak shrug. "Just like you always get to her."

That was true. "But still, this is supposed to be our night, right? Ino isn't here, so she shouldn't matter."

"You're right," he murmured, voice dropping low when her hands held onto his shoulder and upper arm, like she was locking him in place.

She couldn't believe what was happening and was pretty certain her heart was about to slam right out of her chest as he kissed her, her cheeks burning. It wasn't a simple peck like she'd assumed it would be – his lips moved with hers almost tenderly and Sakura couldn't help but sigh into the kiss, all but melting against him. Always. He always had that effect on her. It was like her mind and body would turn into a gooey mess and it frightened her. At the same time, however, it was exciting. She loved being able to just let go sometimes.

There was the rude clearing of someone's throat, forcing them to part and Sakura frowned at the sight of the scowl on Naruto's usually cheerful features. He seemed angry – no, he looked _hurt_.

"Oi, Sasuke," he said, that scowl looking odd as he smirked at him and shoved him aside. "If you're trying to make people jealous or show them that she's yours, _this_ is what you do."

And then he was yanking Sakura against him, making her eyes go wide as she was bent backwards, his arm around her waist and his hand cradling the back of her head just in case he lost his grip on her when she started to fight back. However, she couldn't find the words to argue. All she could do was hang there uselessly as Naruto began to leave sloppy, playful kisses all over her face.

_Trying to show she's yours._

Usually, she would have fought Naruto off. She would have either laughed at his childishness or slapped him upside the head for being so forward with her. However, all she could hear were his words, his hidden warning to her: _don't lower your guard, Sakura. He's proving a point_. Realising she wasn't playing along, Naruto finally allowed her to stand up straight, his expression apologetic while his back was to Sasuke. He'd always had her back, hadn't he? And lately, it seemed to be more than ever.

She looked to her boyfriend, showing him she was hurt by his actions. Had he really only been showing everyone she belonged to him like she was some kind of trophy? Did he really feel that inferior to Itachi's friends? Had he even meant the words he'd said? Sakura knew that she was probably overthinking everything, as usual, but she couldn't help it. Sasuke was a difficult person to understand. That point was proven when he finally met her gaze, only for her to notice that he wasn't looking at her. He was looking straight through her.

Did she even mean anything to him?

Of course, she knew she meant _something _to Sasuke, because otherwise he wouldn't be so goddamn possessive over her, but was it love? At that moment in time, Sakura seriously doubted it – he'd never even said the three words to her. She was glad Naruto interrupted what she'd previously thought was a tender moment. Unlike her and her stupidly naïve heart, he'd clearly seen straight through Sasuke's actions and put a stop to them, knowing that it wasn't fair to her. Not for the first time that day, Sakura felt like an idiot and her pride was hurt.

"I'm going back to the table."

"Wait, Sakura-"

"Naruto's here, Sasuke-kun. I don't need to be."

Like hell she was sticking around simply because he didn't want her sitting with a table that consisted mainly of guys – a table who sent her questioning looks as she sat down with them, all of which were ignored as she smiled at them. It didn't matter to her if they could see through the fake smile, as Sakura seriously doubted they would even say anything to her about what had just happened. At least, not to her face.

Gods, she was so stupid. Why did she have that horrible habit of surrounding herself with toxic people (not including Naruto, of course)?

Much to her horror, when the other two members of the group returned and the tray was placed in front of her, she found she did not have what she ordered. Instead of her salad, there was not only a double cheeseburger and large fries, but also nuggets.

"Sasuke-kun, this isn't-"

"You're not dieting again," he stated seriously, uncaring as he called her out on it in front of the others.

Her cheeks burned.

"Is it really up to you what she can and can't eat?" the man beside her, Deidara, questioned, his visible eye narrowing.

Sasuke ignored him, sitting down and tucking into his meal without a care.

"C'mon, Sakura-chan. You know you love McDonald's," Naruto encouraged her with a grin, trying to take the attention off Sasuke, who, despite seeming calm, was clearly getting agitated. "Why do you want to eat that rabbit's food anyway? It's so boring."

Couldn't he see he was adding to her embarrassment? She could feel the others staring at her, probably wondering why she was being so pitiful or ungrateful.

"Your figure is fine, Sakura," came Konan's gentle reassurance, surprising her. "And I am sure Sasuke is merely trying to look out for you. Too much dieting can lead to unhealthy obsessions with your weight, which then leads to eating disorders." Her lidded gaze moved to the blond by her side and she added, "Deidara, Sasuke has every right to be concerned, seeing as he is Sakura's boyfriend. You cannot make assumptions when you have only known them for five minutes."

Returning her gaze to her food, Sakura tried her best to hide her anger and embarrassment. Of course she knew about the dangers of obsessing over her weight. But surely, the situation was just as bad for her confidence? So what if she wanted to diet? Most girls her age did. What right did they have to question her choices?

Despite her thoughts, to get them off her back, she looking up with a smile, saying, "Thanks." Hopefully, they couldn't tell that she was being fake with them. "That means a lot."

Before turning back to her meal, she noticed the man sitting opposite her watching her with something akin to pity, making her stomach turn. What right did Itachi have to pity her? She looked away angrily, willing herself to calm down. Getting worked up wouldn't help the situation – she would only stress herself out. She tucked into her meal without much enthusiasm, upset to find that her usual love for McDonald's wasn't present. Then again, she supposed it wouldn't be when she was being more or less forced into eating their food, knowing that those she was seated with were watching her every move.

"Your car isn't in the parking lot."

The statement had her momentarily glancing at her boyfriend as he addressed his brother, who replied blandly, "I am riding with Kisame-san."

Was it just her who noticed how… cold he seemed towards his brother? No, it couldn't have been, because Sasuke did a double take, his eyes narrowing fractionally with an unspoken question of, _what did I do?_

"Are you guys going to the new amusement park opening?" asked Naruto loudly, disgusting them all as he spoke with a mouth filled with food.

"Yeah," Kisame answered for them without looking up, also engrossed in his meal. "It's been a while since any of us have had time to actually kick back, so why the hell not, eh?"

"Nagato, Konan and I were unable to make it to Itachi's welcome home party," Yahiko explained further with a roll of his eyes at Kisame's answer. "So, we decided to treat him to a night out, even _if_ we had to drag him here." There was an annoyed expression on his face as he added, "That's partly why he isn't driving – he wanted to work during the journey there and back."

His words had Sasuke scowling and he muttered, "I didn't know you had a job." When Itachi merely answered with a stare, his scowl deepened and he demanded, "Is it with the company?"

Finally finished with her burger, Sakura scrunched up the wrapper and looked up. She'd only been partly listening to their conversation, too absorbed in her own teenage drama to really care. Reaching forward, she dunked a fry into the sauce sitting between her and Itachi and ate it, both savouring and hating the taste. It was either eat or starve and she wasn't ready to go that far just to lose a few pounds.

"Father thought it best that I became involved now rather than later."

"But you've only just come home," she argued, unable to help herself. Fugaku had always rubbed her the wrong way. "You should be resting for a while after being away for so long."

Unlike when he spoke with Sasuke, Itachi gave her a small smile. "I will be fine, Sakura-san. You don't have to worry."

"She worries about everyone," Naruto said with a dismissive wave, shoving more fries into his mouth. "Mom says Sakura-chan is like a mother hen, but Dad says she's got a doctor's heart – whatever the hell _that _means."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Is that what you want to be?" asked Yahiko. She looked to him in confusion and he clarified, "A doctor, I mean."

"Yeah," she said with a faint smile. "It's always been a dream of mine to help others."

"What about the rest of you?" questioned Naruto suddenly as he counted the people present. So far, there was only: Itachi, Kisame, Konan, Nagato, Yahiko, Sasori and Deidara. "There were others at the party, right? The funny guy who swore a lot and the other one. Uh… I can't remember what their names are."

Once again, Sakura rolled her eyes. How rude of him to speak of people he didn't even know in such an uncaring way. However, it was Deidara who answered, saying, "You mean Hidan and Kakuzu?"

"Yeah."

"Doubt they'll be coming, unless they just turn up, yeah," he said with a shrug. He was already finished with his meal and was busy scrolling through his phone. She couldn't help but notice there were many beautiful women on his social media timeline, all shots professionally taken. "Hidan, maybe – he's always looking for crazy ways to get his kicks. But not Kakuzu. That bastard cares too much about saving his money or earning it, yeah."

Well they sounded like joyful people to be around. Sakura could vaguely remember Kakuzu, but it was impossible to forget Hidan. Naruto had been in fits of laughter with his constant swearing, thinking he was hilarious for not caring about how others thought of him. She, on the other hand, despaired for poor Mikoto, who hadn't been expected such crude words.

"Oi, why don't we all hang out at the amusement park?" suggested Naruto. He was always up for increasing his group of friends, as he wasn't one to believe in having a small circle like many others did. He was someone who wanted to get on with everyone. "We could make it a night to remember."

"That sounds fun," Yahiko agreed, not hearing Sasuke's sigh of annoyance.

Realising that it would annoy him and wanting to get her own pay back for earlier, Sakura smiled brightly at them, surprising the group with her suddenly cheery attitude. "I think that's a great idea."

Opposite her, Itachi smirked, eyeing his brother up with a raised eyebrow. "I have no objections, unless… Do you, Sasuke?"

It was obvious that he didn't want their groups to join up for the evening, but soon enough, it was an entire table against him, leaving him to grumble, "Whatever."

Sakura grinned victoriously, even though it didn't feel like much of a win.


	4. Help Me Out of This Hell

**Chapter 4**

**Help Me Out of This Hell**

* * *

Oh, she'd been so tempted to ride with the others to the hotel. However, she refused to be a coward. At some point, she would be forced to face Sasuke – what would hiding do? Other than damage the relationship, she meant. Nothing. It would solve nothing.

Only seconds after Sasuke smoothly pulled into a parking space, two other cars arrived, taking the spaces on either side of him, much to his annoyance. She knew that her boyfriend liked to park away from other cars. He was paranoid that someone would damage his precious Range Rover, always peering through the window of wherever they were to ensure it was still in perfect condition.

Climbing out of the car, she smiled in thanks when Naruto handed her handbag to her, though paused when Sasuke slung her heavier overnight bag over his shoulder without saying a word, locking his car once everything was out of it. Was it to prove he wasn't a total asshole? Was he trying to look better in front of the others?

"I think he's sorry," Naruto mumbled to her, low enough so that Sasuke couldn't hear him. "He's always weirdly quiet whenever you guys have a fight."

"Sasuke-kun's _always_ quiet," she argued with a roll of her eyes.

"No, it's different when you argue," he told her seriously. The look in his blue eyes screamed at her not to dismiss it easily. "Just talk to him, Sakura-chan."

The journey had been extremely awkward since McDonald's – not that she didn't understand why. Even Sasuke had realised how wrong his actions were once they started driving. Honestly, Sakura was the kind of person who preferred everything to be said and done as soon as possible. Allowing the tension to build between them was the same as leaving a wound untreated, choosing to let it fester. If they wanted their relationship to work, they had to work at it.

"Are you coming or not?" Sasuke demanded irritably. He was definitely still annoyed that the others were joining them – that point was proven when they began to leave their cars. "We need to check in now if we want to make it for the opening."

It was a lie, of course. They'd already bought their wristbands, meaning either way, they were getting in that night. However, he probably wanted to talk with her just as much as she wanted to talk to him. Smiling, Sakura approached him, deciding to let go of her hurt and in response, something in his expression and shoulders relaxed. It had her inwardly sighing with exasperation, yet she couldn't help but link her arm through his, giving his a gentle squeeze.

"What's the sleeping arrangement?" Naruto asked. "We still going with sharing a room?"

As much as she wanted to spend time alone with Sasuke, it was probably for the best if they all shared a room. She wasn't sure if she was ready for such a big step, despite them being in a relationship for nearly five years. It just didn't feel right to lose her virginity in a hotel with their friends hanging around. Besides, she had her idea for their anniversary in motion – it was going to be perfect.

"I don't mind," she answered when Sasuke didn't, looking between the pair. "It'll give us more money for tonight, too."

"Sure."

Was she misreading Sasuke? It almost seemed like he was against the idea, but that couldn't have been right… Right? Either failing to notice his hesitation to answer or not caring, Naruto dived headfirst into his excited ramblings, telling them about how great the night was going to be and how nothing could wrong. Of course, the second he said that, Sakura was certain the night was doomed. He'd probably jinxed them, Deidara had said with an aggravated groan.

The hotel they'd chosen was closest to the amusement park, although originally, Itachi and his friend's weren't going to stay there. They'd chosen to go somewhere quieter in preparation for their hangovers the next day. A wise choice, but that plan was soon demolished when Naruto discovered it. They had to stay in the same hotel, he'd exclaimed. How else were they supposed to hang out later or continue the party in their hotel room?

"We'll meet in the lobby in an hour," Itachi stated, glancing at his phone. "That gives everyone the chance to shower and get dressed."

"The opening is in half an hour," came Sasuke's muttered argument.

The doors swept open once they were close enough and greeting them was an air conditioned lobby that had several of them sighing in relief. It wasn't the most extravagant of hotels, but it was good enough to make her feel self-conscious about her choice of clothing. Converse and shorts definitely stood out, though she fortunately wasn't the only one who was under-dressed.

"It will still be there in an hour," was all Itachi responded with.

Upon approaching the desk, Naruto's eyes went wide at the dish of free chocolates and didn't hesitate to help himself. He was on his seventh by the time the receptionist handed over their key, wishing them well. She seemed hesitant to have them share a room (understandable considering it was one female and two males), but she didn't say anything about it after seeing their licenses and the rest of the group. It took longer for the others to check in, but eventually, they all had rooms, smiling their thanks to the woman.

"Are you sure you don't want to share with Nagato, Naruto?" questioned Yahiko, nudging him with his elbow. "You don't want to be a third wheel, do you?"

He seemed to seriously consider the offer for a few moments, but when he looked to her and Sasuke, something seemed to register in his mind and he said, "I'll be fine. Somebody has to chaperone those kids, anyways."

Kids? "You're only a few months older than me," she grumbled.

"Still older," he said cheerfully.

There was no use in arguing – she didn't want to. Having Naruto around would keep it from getting awkward, or it would keep things from going too far before either of them were ready for them to. But… What if Sasuke _was_ ready? Oh Gods, what if he was so distant lately because he was frustrated? Sakura shook the thoughts from her head. That made no sense. Sasuke wasn't the kind of person to do something like that.

"See you in an hour," he called to the others, waving enthusiastically while walking backwards. They were on the sixth floor and from she'd heard, the others were scattered on the third and fourth, taking the last available rooms.

Once they were out of earshot, Sasuke demanded with clear annoyance, "Why did you have to group us together like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like we're all friends – we don't even know half of those people."

She could see where Sasuke was coming from, as it _was_ a little uncomfortable suddenly making plans with people they barely knew. It felt forced. However, sometimes, that was how great friendships were formed. Gods knew she needed new friends considering what her current ones were like. Hopefully, given the fact they were older, it meant they were mentally mature, too.

Shoving the key in the door, Naruto swiftly unlocked it and pushed it open, immediately dumping his bag on the ground and kicking off his shoes. She and Sasuke followed his example, the three of them leaving their shoes by the door as they walked further into the room, assessing it critically. It was a standard room, but it was filled with quality furniture and, much to her delight as she fell back against the bed, it didn't smell like weeks' old sweat. The linen was fresh and it felt perfect against her smooth legs, leaving her to stretch out and hog the entire bed.

"You_ do _know you're sharing that, right?"

She gave Naruto a dry look, saying, "Of course I know that."

"Good," he said with a grin, patting her leg. "Move up, then."

"Don't push your luck," came Sasuke's dark warning from the other side of the room. He was eyeing up the menu left on the dresser, rolling his eyes with annoyance when he found it wasn't to his liking. "You're lucky I knew you were kidding around when you pretended to kiss her."

"Lucky?" Naruto demanded, his own annoyance suddenly returning from earlier. "_You're_ lucky I didn't beat the shit out of you for the way you treated Sakura-chan. She doesn't deserve that."

"I'll tell you what I don't deserve," she snapped and stood up, coming between the two irritated men. Placing her hands on her hips, she glared at them both, daring them to argue with her. "You two idiots ruining what's going to be an amazing night for all of us. We're going to freshen up, go out and enjoy ourselves. Understood?"

For a few moments, Sasuke refused to respond, staring her down coolly. Eventually, however, he had no choice but to nod his agreement. He sat on the edge of what she presumed was their bed now, watching them both.

"We're allowed to ditch them at some point, aren't we?"

She smirked at his ever-present annoyance. "Don't you want to spend time with your brother?"

"Not particularly."

Green eyes rolled and she was amused to see Naruto do the same, only his was accompanied with a shake of his head. They'd learned to accept Sasuke's grumpy attitude a long time ago – if they didn't laugh it off, they would lose their minds.

"Well, _I'm_ looking forward to it," she said with a smile. Deciding it was best to start getting ready as soon as possible, she grabbed her overnight bag, planning on taking it to the bathroom with her. "Did either of you check the forecast for tonight?"

"It's supposed to stay warm," Sasuke replied.

Then there was no point in getting changed, just like there was no point in getting dressed up. They were going to an amusement park, after all. It was best to dress comfortably and in a way that prevented potential wardrobe malfunctions. The shirt she was wearing was baggy and had a high neckline, which was perfect for the roller coasters. There was nothing worse than fretting over an outfit the entire day, worrying about possible nip-slips or something of the sort. Then there was the shoe situation. Flip flops and flats were a big no for her, as they would fall off during the rides. Her converse was the best choice.

"I don't see why you're bothering to shower," said Naruto, frowning. "You're just gonna get sweaty again."

"It's nice to feel clean, Naruto. That's why I'm showering." Taking her bag with her to the bathroom, she told them, "I won't be long. I'll be ready in half an hour."

* * *

Surprising even herself, Sakura was ready in the space of twenty minutes – a new record, surely. She was washed, her legs had been given a quick shave to make sure there was no sudden hair growth she'd somehow missed and her makeup was reapplied, all of which made her feel refreshed.

The only reason why she had decided to bother with makeup was because there would be many pictures taken that evening, both professional and with friends. Several news channels would no doubt be reporting the opening and she had to be prepared to be caught on camera at any point. And, just in case the rides ruined her makeup somehow, she was carrying some in a small, black bag that rested comfortably against her hip, the strap secure across her body.

"I say we go now," Naruto said. The poor guy had been bouncing around with excitement ever since she got out of the shower, barely able to contain himself. "We can message the others and say we're ready – they might be, too."

With a shrug, she told him, "Try it." Shuffling through her bag, she triple checked that she had everything she needed. Knowing that she did, she asked, "Do you guys want me to hold onto the room key and your wallets? There's still room left in here."

Of course, Naruto didn't have to be asked twice, all but throwing his wallet in the bag. In preparation for the evening, they'd withdrawn as much money as they possibly could, willingly and happy to spend every bit of it.

"Here," Sasuke said, handing over his own wallet. With it, he gave her his phone. "I've told Itachi we're all ready. He said they'll meet us downstairs in ten minutes – they're waiting on Deidara."

Deciding he was too impatient to wait, Naruto left to wait downstairs, telling them not to take too long. Knowing that was his way of giving them a moment alone before the night got hectic, Sakura smiled and faced her boyfriend. She was surprised to find he was already watching her, dark eyes unreadable. It had her blushing slightly. At some point in the past five years, there'd obviously been several times when they were left alone in a bedroom together, but it had never been in a hotel. Never had they felt _that_ alone together before. It had her feeling shy, especially when he watched her like that.

"Sasuke-kun?" she questioned, head tilting to the side. "Is something wrong?"

"I shouldn't have done that to you earlier."

Which part? Kissing her just to prove to the others she was his, or embarrassing her about her dieting in front of them?

Knowing what she was thinking, he added, "Calling you out like that was wrong of me."

Was he even sorry for screwing with her feelings before that? And what about _before_ then, when they were in the car? Had either of those interactions even registered with him as wrong? "Yeah, it was."

"Is it a problem?" he questioned unsurely. It was painfully obvious he'd never had to ask such an uncomfortable question before, or had to ask somebody something so private. His body language was the opposite of relaxed, with his shoulders rigid, eyes slipping to the side before he added, "The dieting?"

"What? No," she said disbelievingly, her voice going up an octave like that alone could tell him how absurd the idea was. "Sasuke-kun, I just want to stay healthy. Eating junk food all the time makes me feel gross."

But her words didn't sit well with him, because he then told her, "The last time you tried a diet, you got sick."

"That was different."

"How?"

Oh, so he was getting frustrated with her now? Sakura gritted her teeth. "That particular diet was dangerous – I was given false information and didn't do proper research. I'm smarter about that sort of thing now, Sasuke-kun. Please, trust me."

The diet had been excessive to say the least, but had promised her fast results. When a girl had a huge event in a handful of weeks and barely any free time to workout healthily, said girl was willing to push her body to the limits to achieve that flatter stomach.

"Workout with me," Sasuke said, voice holding more authority than usual. "Don't diet, just exercise more."

"That's the problem," she snapped. There was no denying they were both getting worked up, both frustrated that the other person couldn't see the situation from their perspective. "I don't have the time."

Dark eyes narrowed. "School is over now-"

"_For_ now," she corrected.

"-so you have all summer to find a routine."

It took everything to stop herself from tearing her hair out. He just didn't understand, did he? He didn't understand the pressure girls were under – now more than ever. They had to have the perfect hourglass figure for guys to be interested, but just one pound of fat more and they were deemed overweight. Girls like her – skinny with a small chest – were overlooked, often called flat chested or whatever. Next to Ino, Sakura _knew_ she looked flat chested. Without her blessed friend around, however, she _knew_ she had curves.

"Okay," she agreed, simply because she couldn't be bothered arguing any longer. Pretending to check the time, Sakura told him, "We need to get going. They'll be wondering where we are."

He rolled his eyes, previous annoyance about their updated plans returning.

* * *

They'd decided to walk to the amusement park, deciding the weather was too nice to be stuck in the car. Itachi's idea to walk was wise, they'd realised only five minutes into it, as the traffic was horrendous. The roads were jammed, many going as far as to leave their cars and have brief walks to stretch their limbs.

She decided after fifteen minutes into the walk that she liked Itachi's friends. Sure, they were different from the usual people she hung out with, but maybe that was for the best. School had only been over for a few weeks and already, she hadn't spoken to half of her friends. They said they'd meet up but it never happened. That and the people she was still friends with were toxic.

"What did you study at university?" she asked Itachi.

They were walking side by side, the others having picked up their pace once the impressively large amusement park came into view. She hoped that didn't mean she was going to be ditched at some point, as she could already see Naruto rushing ahead.

"Business."

Oh, that was right. The Uchiha family owned their own business – it was to be expected of him that Itachi would one day take over. He was the heir, after all. "Don't you have more than one degree?"

He nodded once. "Business was the priority. However, I found I had the extra time to study management, marketing and the laws surrounding business and fair trade."

Not much then, she thought sarcastically. "Was it hard?"

"No." When she merely nodded, he seemed to realise she'd been hoping for a longer answer. Smiling faintly, Itachi added, "It's about finding a balance – falling into a routine. Once I had said balance, I found managing my class schedules and work load fairly simple."

"Simple," she repeated with a wry smile. "You say that, but I'm freaking out about taking one course and finding the time to work at the same time."

"What are you hoping to study? You mentioned being interested in a medical career path earlier?"

"Yeah. I want to be a doctor."

Itachi glanced down at her, seemingly impressed. "In a hospital?"

"Yeah and no."

"Oh?"

She smiled. "I want to open a clinic, but I know how difficult that would be, so until I have the skills and the time or resources, I'd like to work in the hospital."

"You might find you like it in the hospital," he told her. "From what I can remember: you work best under pressure, correct?"

Wait, he remembered her from the few encounters they'd shared? "I guess," she said. "I always did better in exams than the others in my year." For some odd reason, her words had him smiling in amusement. "What is it?"

He chuckled once. "Sasuke often came home irritable and frustrated whenever exam results were returned."

That was because he always came second – something she _loved_. He came _second_ to _her_. Not that she ever rubbed it in his face, because she knew how sensitive he could be at the best of times. Reminding him that he wasn't receiving the highest grades when he had to face Fugaku with said results, was cruel.

"I have to admit: I admired that about you," Itachi told her after a few moments, once more looking to her. "Knowingly or unknowingly, you knocked my little brother down a peg or two when he needed it most. It kept him from growing too arrogant." _Too_ arrogant. At least Itachi could admit that his brother _was_ arrogant. "Going off what you previously said, I trust you kept your grades up despite dating him?"

"Of course," she said, unable to ignore the slither of hurt.

Did people really think that lowly of her? That she would let her grades suffer because she was in love? Or that she would let that influence her personality? Or did he mean something else? Was Itachi hinting at her allowing Sasuke to take first place? Sakura would be the first to admit that she was a fool when it came to love – she let so much slide, dealt with so much bullshit even when it broke her heart – however, she wasn't stupid. She would never let a relationship shape her entire future. No matter what happened with Sasuke, her dream was to become a doctor. She would achieve that with or without him. If he couldn't support that dream because he wanted to be number one, then that was his problem, not hers.

"_Hurry up_," they heard Naruto yell. He was bouncing in his spot, arms waving madly to capture their attention. Apparently, he didn't care about the large group of people he was nearly hitting – that or he didn't see them ducking out of the way. "_What's taking you so long?"_

Itachi smirked. "It is nice to see not much has changed since I left."

"You won't be saying that in a few weeks' time after you've split up yet another one of Sasuke-kun and Naruto's fights," she said, eyes rolling.

He looked down at her in vague disbelief. "They still fight?"

"Physically, emotionally. Sometimes mentally depending on how vicious Sasuke-kun is feeling."

"I see."

Music blared from the entrance when they finally arrived, accompanied by dancing mascots that greeted everyone with extra joy. Their slow paced walk was rewarded when they arrived, their wristbands ready and waiting for them due to the others having lined up.

"Look at this place," Naruto said in awe, leaning back to look at the glass dome ceiling. "There's a roller coaster that goes over this part. Do you know how cool that is?"

The entrance was definitely the best she'd seen so far, especially for an amusement park. Around the lobby, along with the obvious counters to purchase or pick up wristbands, were big screens with the music charts playing. Sakura didn't fail to notice that there weren't many in the queue for purchasing the tickets, but that was because many pre-ordered to guarantee entry. Good thing, too, she noticed, sticking close to her group. It was crazy busy.

A hand grabbed hers, tugging her to the left just as one of mascots span by them, its arms outstretched.

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered. The hand in hers tightened and he looked to her. "Are you okay?"

She couldn't help but smile at his concern. "It's fine, Sasuke-kun. I wasn't even touched."

He nodded, though didn't release her hand and it had her smiling. Unlike when she was walking with Itachi, who chose to remain at the back of the group, she and Sasuke walked together near the front, allowing Naruto to lead the way out of the large glass doors. They swept open on their approach, granting them their first view of the inside of the amusement park. It was humongous. That was the first thing that registered in her mind as they all stopped at the entrance, eyes wide in surprise. Yes, Sakura had known it was big after first spotting it, but it was different when they were standing in the park. It was chaos around them, rides already open and people screaming in a mixture of fear and joy.

To the far left, there was the children's area, filled with spinning tea cups and bumper cars – everything they would usually see in travelling fairgrounds, along with smaller versions of log flumes and twisters. That area alone had her excitement growing, as it was obvious the creators had spent a while designing the place, taking the time to make everything perfect.

The rest of the park was crazy. Other guests were busy running from the exit of one ride, to the entrance of another, probably deciding to follow the layout of the park. Some had already purchased merchandise while picking up their wristbands, others already drinking alcohol to make the experience twice as thrilling. Roller coasters were scary enough to begin with – Sakura couldn't imagine how much scarier they were while drunk.

"Should we do what everyone else is doing?" one of Itachi's friends asked behind her – she suspected it was Deidara, though wasn't entirely sure. It could have been Sasori. Those two seemed to stick together.

"I say we start at the back and make our way back here." That time, she knew who had spoken. Looking up at the sky, Yahiko then said, "Seems like most people are starting from here."

"We should do that." Oh, _that_ one was Sasori, Sakura realised as she glanced over her shoulder at the group. "I hate having to wait."

Naruto made a noise of disbelief, his blue eyes rolling. He stretched like he had to prepare himself for the thrills he was about to experience, eventually leaving his arms crossed behind his head. "What the hell are you doing here, then?" he said with a laugh. "You have to wait in line at all amusement parks. This is opening night – it's gonna be chaos."

"I know," came Sasori's dark mutter, but his glare was wasted on Deidara, who wasn't affected in the least. "I didn't have a choice."

Oh, then Sasori was in for a great night. Leaning closer to her boyfriend, Sakura smiled. It was going to be a good night regardless of queue lengths (which didn't really matter, as the park was open all night – the different opening hours giving them extra publicity).

The smell of donuts and popcorn captured her attention instantly and she looked to her right, happy to find there were food stands and cafes open. Many signs told her that they would be open all night, much to her relief, as they were bound to get hungry at some point.

"_Don't miss the fireworks at midnight,"_ a man gushed over the tannoy. "_Get yourselves on the big wheel for the best view."_

A big wheel? She spun so that she was walking backwards, looking up at Sasuke with her best smile. "Please? You know how much I love them."

"Sure."

She knew Sasuke didn't enjoy them – he hated how slow they were, how they could only sit and watch the scene. However, that was what Sakura loved most about them. She loved seeing the area from way up in the sky. The last time she'd been on a big wheel was when she was fourteen and they were at the beach house for two weeks with Sasuke's parents and his brother. The view of the sea from the top of the wheel had been heart stopping – it'd looked so calm and still, the sun setting slowly and painting the sky in so many different shades. It was one of her favourite views.

"There's arcades, too?" Naruto demanded, already running ahead. "Oi, Sasuke, I bet I can kick your ass at most of these games."

It amused her when he muttered under his breath about paying for roller coasters, not games, because Sakura knew that, at some point in the evening, he would be engrossed in the arcades for a good few hours. She would have to drag them both out of there, reminding them for the hundredth time that Konoha had plenty of arcades.

"Oi, we're starting from the back, remember?" Deidara yelled after him.

The blond pouted, looking torn as his eyes continuously returned to the opening of the arcade.

"Naruto," she growled warningly.

That got him moving.

* * *

Amazing. The amusement park was amazing and definitely up there in their list of best ways to spend their time and money.

Unfortunately, many had the same strategy Yahiko had come up with, but it wasn't half as bad as it was near the entrance. The longest wait time they'd suffered through so far was fifteen minutes, which wasn't too bad. It gave them the chance to get to know Itachi's friends and decide who they wanted to sit with on the rides, since the seats were usually two in each cart. Sasuke usually rotated between her, Naruto and Itachi, whereas she made sure to sit with everyone at least once (Naruto was the most fun to sit next to, as he had her keeping her arms up whenever they dropped or were upside down, adding to the thrill as she was _certain_ they were going to fall out of the cart, but it never happened and _holy shit_ she loved it). After each ride, she made sure to purchase the photographs taken, laughing at everyone's different expressions.

It was around five hours after arriving that they decided to sit down and eat, watching in awe as the lights came on, making up for the setting sun. Due to the park being open at night, too, they'd taken that into consideration and lit up certain parts of the roller coasters, leaving many of the drops in total darkness. She and Naruto had already decided to go back to the scariest one they'd been on so far.

"Two hours until the fireworks," said Konan as she stole a glance at her phone. "How about we split up for a while, then meet up for the fireworks?"

Sakura looked to Naruto and Sasuke, though couldn't help but roll her eyes with annoyance when she heard them bickering about the arcades and how badly they were going to beat the other. Stupid boys, she mentally yelled at them. She didn't want to play games while at an amusement park – she wanted to try every ride in the park and look at the souvenir stores.

"Bastard," Naruto growled angrily and stood up, hands flat on the table as he glared at Sasuke. "I bet whatever I have in my wallet that you can't beat me."

Great. They were placing bets again. Sakura sighed. She should have invited Hinata or someone to join them for the weekend. Then again, she knew the Hyuuga wouldn't be allowed despite legally being an adult. Her father was way too strict – still stuck in the traditional times. Staying out all night was frowned upon, especially when it involved staying in a hotel with guys. It didn't even matter that nothing sexual would ever happen between them, either. It made Sakura feel so grateful that her parents were more relaxed and modern. She wasn't sure what she would have done if they were stuck in the stone ages.

"I want to check out the stores," she told the boys, eyes pleading with Sasuke.

"You want to go shopping? Now?"

Guys were so dumb. Resisting the urge to kick Naruto under the table as he stared at her in disbelief, she kept her eyes on Sasuke. "Please?"

"See if anyone else wants to go shopping," he muttered, turning back to the blond. "Then I'll meet up with you before the fireworks start."

That wasn't too bad of an idea. It even filled her with giddiness, as it meant her boyfriend was allowing her to hang out with Itachi's friends alone. At the party, he'd more or less dragged her away from Sasori, saying all of Itachi's friends were bad people. She smiled brightly at him, proud that he was moving on from his judgements. He pretended not to notice, already arguing with Naruto again.

"Would you mind if I joined you?"

She was surprised by the question, but quickly shook her head, smiling. "Not at all, Itachi-san, but are you sure you don't mind shopping?"

Although it was faint, there was still a smile on his lips. "I want to take a break from the rides."

Yeah, they could get a bit much when it was one after another for hours on end. "I memorised the map when we first came in. There's a little section of the park that has so many stores and food stands. We could try some of the snacks?"

He nodded once. "I would like that."

In all honesty, she wasn't sure if Itachi was enjoying the amusement park half as much as the rest of them were. He just didn't seem to get the same kick out of the rides, like they bored him. Maybe that was what Sasuke meant by being arrogant? Maybe Itachi thought he was too good for such childish thrills? Whatever the reason, she was grateful for him joining her. Shopping alone would have been boring as hell. Lonely, too.

"So we'll meet at the big wheel?" she asked when Sasuke stood.

"Yeah."

Without much of a goodbye, he left, leaving her to mutter under her breath about how bad he was at goodbyes. Not even a kiss? Idiot. But he didn't like public displays of affection, so she forgave him only seconds later.

"Are you ready?" asked Itachi, nodding his temporary goodbyes to the rest of the group as they went their separate ways.

Sasuke wasn't the only one bad at goodbyes, she thought grumpily. Even if it was only for two hours, it was still kind of rude, wasn't it? Maybe she was just too caught up on what was rude and what wasn't. Everyone's ideas of such a thing were different. What was rude to her could have been completely normal to Sasori or Deidara.

"Yeah."

There was music throughout the park, adding to the joyous mood as people danced on their way to rides, or hung out at the food stalls and bars. For a while, they walked silently in the direction of the stores, coming closer together when passing large groups and separating once more.

"I like that there's so much to do here," she said loudly to make sure he could hear her over the music. It was too quiet between them, making it awkward.

"It has taken years to build," he explained without missing a beat. Somehow, even though he didn't raise his voice like she had, she could still hear him clearly. "The creators will do everything in their power to stay relevant and make a profit."

That was true, she supposed. For the past year, the publicity for the park had been crazy. It was in the papers, on adverts online, on billboards and on television.

"Oh, there's the first store," she exclaimed, stepping on her tiptoes to see over a couple as they walked towards them hand in hand. From what she could see, it looked like it had a bit of everything. Gods, she loved those kinds of stores. Grinning at Itachi, she asked teasingly, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

He chuckled. "I take it there is a reason why Sasuke refuses to shop with you?"

His only response was a mischievous grin.

* * *

She had to admit: Itachi was a hell of a lot more patient than Sasuke was on his best day. Even while she was torn between two novelty t-shirts (realistically, she couldn't really afford either of them, but she had to find some kind of souvenir), he remained calm, browsing the shelves as he spoke with her. It had her wondering how Sasuke became such a… a stress head, for lack of better word. Whereas Itachi was calm and rational, Sasuke was chaotic and, more often than not, unreasonable. At times, she could see where her boyfriend had tried to take after his older brother, as there were a couple of mannerisms she recognised instantly, but others were… They couldn't have been more different. One example was that Sasuke preferred healthy food, while Itachi seemed to love dango (he'd ordered two lots at one of the stalls and she could tell he was refraining from purchasing the third, though eyed it with barely hidden longing).

The next store was much smaller, with postcards and keyrings. It didn't hold her attention for long, but noticing Itachi lingering, she decided to show him the same patience he'd given her, waiting until he was ready to leave.

"Sakura-san," he began, then paused. Itachi sighed and placed down the cup he had been looking at, facing her with a minute frown. "I had an ulterior motive for asking to accompany you."

Whereas Sasuke was blunt and uncaring with how he came across, Itachi carefully chose his words, trying to find the easiest way to explain whatever was going on in his mind.

"Oh?" she questioned, not hiding her surprise. She plucked a keyring out of a basket, putting more thought into analysing it. Was he going to give her more advice that would no doubt keep her up for many nights? "What's that?"

When Itachi came to stand beside her, she found he was much taller than Sasuke – about a foot taller than herself, give or take. Embarrassing as it was to admit, she was a measly five foot three, so it didn't take much to tower over her.

"I wanted to apologise for intruding on your relationship with Sasuke," came his quiet admittance. "However, I still believe they were words you needed to hear."

They–

Stubborn. They were both stubborn. "That so?"

"Yes," Itachi said simply. "After seeing the two of you together today, I can't help but feel that your relationship is unhealthy."

Anger burned her stomach and she dropped the key ring back into its rightful basket. Trying to stay calm was a challenge, especially when she looked up at the older Uchiha and saw the look in his eyes. She couldn't explain what it was – pity, perhaps? And it angered her. "It's not-"

He cut off her weak argument, stating, "He controls you, Sakura-san."

"No – I mean, yes, but-"

"And you were uncomfortably happy when he showered you with affection."

Her cheeks burned with humiliation. "That–"

"Am I wrong?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "If you can assure me that I am wrong in my assumptions, then by all means, do so and I will apologise."

Arrogant. He was so goddamn arrogant. And it hurt so much because his words were true and they both knew it. "I love him," she said to him like it could answer all the questions in the world.

"Just as addicts love what inevitably kills them."

He–

"You think Sasuke-kun is _killing_ me?" Sakura repeated disbelievingly, unable to keep her voice quiet. The cashier looked to them in alarm, making her sigh with annoyance, shooting him a glare to warn him to stay the hell out of it. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"Sasuke-kun would never hurt me–"

"Perhaps not physically, but he is destroying you emotionally – unknowingly, maybe. However, that does not change what is happening to you."

There was nothing she could argue with and it made her angrier. "It's none of your business–"

"I believe it is."

"_Why?"_

"Sasuke is my brother and I feel…" He paused, frown finally forming properly, fully. "I feel responsible for the way he is treating you, Sakura-san."

"Well, don't," she snapped. "Sasuke-kun isn't emotionally killing me – or whatever the hell you want to call it."

Gods, she couldn't believe the audacity of him. Why would he say stuff like that? They were going through a rough patch in their relationship – that happened to people. After however long together, most people started to question whether their partners still found them attractive. It was natural. They started questioning everything because commitment was _scary_. Five years was a hell of a long time to spend with someone and it was twice as hard when growing up in a world controlled and manipulated by sex, because they weren't having it. That was all it was.

"Sakura-san, I–"

"I'm going," she told him, glaring. "Leave me alone."

Spinning on her heel, she stormed out of the store, ignoring Itachi as he called after her. Like hell she was standing around and listening to his bullshit. Damn it, she was so angry. What right did he have to question their relationship? Everyone else stayed out of it because they knew it had nothing to do with them. There was no room for a third person in a relationship – some people simply didn't know that.

Sakura looked down at her phone, grateful to find that it was half past eleven. Sasuke should have set off towards the wheel by now, she told herself. Picking up her pace, she went in the direction of the big wheel, which was on the edge of the amusement park. Her phone buzzed demandingly in her hand and she looked down, frowning at the unknown number. Sliding her finger across the screen, she answered.

"Hello?"

"_I want to apologise_–_"_

Itachi? What the hell? "How did you get my number?"

"_Naruto-kun gave it to me earlier today,"_ he informed her. He sounded like he was rushing, his breathing heavier than usual. "_Sakura-san, I didn't mean to offend you. Please, forgive_–_"_

Despite it being rude, she hung up halfway through his apology. That arrogant bastard probably didn't even mean what he was saying.

Glancing around, she searched the crowds of people, hoping to see Sasuke making his way towards the big wheel also, but when she found it too hard due to how many people were there, she growled with annoyance and continued to make her way there. It wasn't hard spotting the big wheel, as it was freaking huge, she noted in stunned silence, coming to a stop once it was in full view. It was taller than most of the roller coasters from the looks of things and it had her swallowing nervously. Heights didn't scare her, however, the sheer size of the wheel intimidated her – it was easily the biggest one she'd ever seen.

There was no point going near it yet, she told herself. She had to wait for Sasuke. With a sigh, Sakura walked over to the edge of the pier, wondering how big the amusement park actually was. They'd been miles away from any sort of beach or sea while walking there, but she could have sworn it wasn't _that_ big.

Breathing in the fresh sea air, she tried to let go of her anger. It was so easy letting somebody wind her up. No matter what she tried, she couldn't keep it from happening, either. Perhaps she was more of a stress head than Sasuke was? Sakura chuckled at that, leaning against the wooden fence that lined the pier. It was certainly chillier than it had been a few hours ago, but not unbearably so as there wasn't too much wind.

She shut her eyes and breathed in deeply, willing herself to let go of her anger. With Itachi out of her sight, it wasn't too hard to calm down and once ready, she allowed their conversation to replay in her mind. Sakura supposed that, in some weird way, Itachi _did_ have a right to question their relationship. However, if it was truly unhealthy, surely somebody would have pointed that out to them? Instead of allowing it to continue, surely somebody would have stepped up? The truth behind Itachi's words had her dropping her head, elbows coming to rest on the fence. The wind picked up at that point, though she welcomed it, thankful that it was cooling her heated skin.

She briefly checked the time, frowning when she found they had fifteen minutes before the fireworks started. Sasuke would have set off by now, she assured herself. He'd know that she wanted to get on the wheel _before_ they started the fireworks. Right?

When another ten minutes passed and she still couldn't see him, Sakura fired off a text, demanding to know what the hell he was doing. Chances were, however, that he'd become too engrossed in the arcade games and beating Naruto at them. If he tried to leave before a game was over, or before a winner was decided, then Naruto would never let him live it down.

"_The fireworks will begin in five minutes,"_ said the man from earlier that day on the tannoy.

She looked over her shoulder, upset to find that it was getting busy near the wheel. Many would want to see the fireworks from there and it had her glaring down at her phone, willing away the ache in her chest.

He wasn't going to turn up.

"Sakura-san."

No longer having the energy to argue, she could only look up as the tall figure came to stand beside her, his back to the sea. The wind was blowing through his hair, just as it did with her own and for a moment, Sakura found herself stunned. When had Itachi approached her and why hadn't she noticed him until he spoke up? She brushed her hair behind her ear, watching him for a few moments before deciding that it was probably due to her hurt.

"I don't want to argue," she told him quietly, once more sparing a glance at her phone. Any minute and the fireworks would start.

"Neither do I." She nodded silently. "Where is Sasuke? The fireworks are about to start."

"Busy, apparently." Sighing, she leaned further forward, eyes glued to the sea. It was so dark but she could still see it due to the lights bouncing off it. "It's fine."

Silence. Then, like he had come to some sort of conclusion, Itachi suddenly stood up straight and held out his hand, making her frown. Seeing it, he gave her a small smile. "Will you accompany me on the big wheel?"

She couldn't help but smile at him, even if it was reluctantly. "You don't have to be so nice to me – I just yelled at you."

"We have exactly one minute to get on the big wheel before the fireworks start."

It only took a few moments for her to push away from the fence, smiling up at him. "Thank you."

They barely made it in time. Had they been just three seconds later in reaching the wheel, another couple would have taken it from them. Sakura felt guilty for beating them, but at the same time, she was so glad they made it, especially when the fireworks started and they reached the top of the wheel.

It was a lot colder at the top and goosebumps broke out across her skin. However, the sight before her made up for it all, making her bite back a smile as she moved closer to one side to get a better view, making sure to take a picture of the beautiful sight. There were so many twinkling lights bringing life to the park and from the top, everyone looked so small. None of it could compare to the fireworks, though. Seeing them on the ground was exciting enough, but being eye level with them, watching the colours fade away, made it almost seem magical and she couldn't stop the smile that stretched across her lips.

"Sakura-san."

She turned to face him, asking, "What's wrong?"

He was sat casually in his seat, seemingly comfortable despite the hard plastic. However, when he spoke, he sat forward, asking her, "Please, forgive me. I was wrong to intrude on your relationship with Sasuke."

She sighed at that, though was unable to admit out loud that he'd had a point. "It's okay, Itachi-san. I'm not angry anymore." How could she be with such a magnificent view? Even when they were lowered and almost on the ground, it was perfect. Seeing the fireworks from different angles was even better.

"May I ask one thing?" Looking back to him, she nodded warily. "Should Sasuke ever become too much, please stand up for yourself or inform someone. My brother is still immature," Itachi explained at length, his eyes all but pleading with her to listen to him. "Perhaps part of him is too immature for a serious relationship."

Again, Sakura sighed. Just the thought of him being right caused a vicious ache in her chest, because if Sasuke was too immature for a serious relationship, what did that mean for them? For her? She paused in her response when an extra loud firework was set off, the bright colours momentarily flashing, lighting up theirs features. Once it had faded, she said, "Sasuke-kun would never hurt me."

The words troubled him. She could see it in his returning frown. "Please."

After a few minutes of watching him and the colours that shone on his face whenever a firework was set off, she eventually nodded. "Okay," she agreed quietly. "I promise."


	5. Try To Remember What Brought Us Together

**Chapter 5**

**Try To Remember What Brought Us Together**

* * *

"It seems the others watched the fireworks from the bar."

She tore off a piece of candyfloss, wondering at what point she would get sick from eating so much. Much to her astonishment, Itachi wanted to try _every_ food stand to see what they had to offer. Each time, he would get a different snack (or drink, if he needed one) and it had to be something he had never tasted before. The logic in his actions pushed her into following his example (not including the candyfloss – she bought that because it tasted great).

"Would you like to join them?"

Looking up at the man by her side, Sakura debated the pros and cons of returning to the group. If she went back to them, chances were, she'd lose her temper with Sasuke and let all of hell break loose. She'd received several (sort of) apologetic texts from him, asking if she wanted him to meet with her alone. Too upset to reply, she'd ignored him and shoved her phone to the bottom of her bag. That way she couldn't feel it vibrating.

Sighing, she shook her head. Why should a disagreement between her and Sasuke affect the rest of the night for everyone else? Up until that point, she'd been having a great time with them all. Itachi's friends were great company, they weren't bitchy as hell and didn't make her feel shitty about herself. In fact, Deidara had even tried to defend her about her dieting, seemingly understanding.

No. No matter how angry or hurt she was, she wasn't going to let it ruin the rest of the night. She would shove it to the back of her mind.

"Sure. Where are they?"

"There is a bar near the centre of the park," he explained to her, pocketing his phone. "If I were to make an assumption based on the text I was sent: they have been there for a while."

She chuckled, popping another piece of candyfloss into her mouth. Gods, she loved the stuff. It was a must buy whenever she visited any kind of amusement park, fair or festival. "Who?"

"Yahiko-san," the name was said with a sigh. "His tolerance for alcohol is embarrassingly low, though Konan-san will no doubt force him to sober up before drinking more."

"You say that now – wait until Naruto's had a few drinks. He can't handle it."

"You drink?"

Eyeing him suspiciously for a moment, Sakura murmured, "Are you going to tell your dad if I say yes?"

He smirked, shaking his head. "What Sasuke gets up to in his spare time is his own business, so long as it does not effect his professional life."

Professional life? What was that supposed to mean? Asking Itachi for the information was surely a disaster waiting to happen, but Sakura couldn't help but grow uncertain. Sasuke hadn't mentioned much about what he wanted to do once school was over. All he'd ever told her was that it would be expected of him to join the family business, although now that Itachi was home, she wondered where that left him. Itachi was the heir, after all – the one who would inherit said company when Fugaku, the CEO, retired. What role would Sasuke have? She couldn't see him settling for anything that would prove he was inferior to his brother.

From what little she knew of the company, she knew that Uchiha Fugaku had invested in most businesses in and around Konoha – recently branching out further. That was how he met Mikoto, in fact. She had been a designer in the making and while she certainly hadn't come from a poor background, she'd found that she needed support and somebody to invest in her business of interior designs.

There was so much the company was involved with. So many backgrounds, so many charities. They didn't stick to one criteria, instead allowing anybody with a solid proposal to meet with the CEO. Hell, their university relied heavily on the Uchiha family as of late, as Fugaku had supplied them with the latest equipment, textbooks and technology, his investments in other companies coming in handy when it came to supporting the university.

Oh, was that why Itachi studied abroad instead of attending the university in Konoha? It made sense, she realised, watching him curiously. Having his father so heavily involved in the university was bound to become a topic of controversy. Was Itachi getting straight As because his father funded most of the events, courses and whatever else? Was he given special treatment to keep Fugaku interested in them and willing to continue his funding? At some point, she would have to question him about it. Doing it at that moment in time didn't seem right, not after their disagreement earlier. The subject was possibly too sensitive.

"Oh? Is Sasuke-kun going into the family business, too?" she asked.

There was a pause, one where Itachi regarded her in muted surprise. "He didn't tell you?"

The sensation of her stomach dropping had Sakura frowning down at her candyfloss. She found she no longer had any appetite. "Why don't I like the sound of that response?" came her softly spoken question. She tried to laugh it off, but it came across as forced even to her. "You make it sound like it's a huge decision he's made."

"It was," he informed her. Coming to a standstill, he continued to watch her, his mouth opening briefly until he silenced himself. Frowning, he told her, "Sasuke should be the one who tells you-"

"Tells me what?" she couldn't help but demand.

"If he has not already told you, then I am assuming he is trying to find the best moment to."

Anxiety clawed at her heart. "Itachi-san, please. I need to know."

He sighed at that, his eyebrows knitting together. The look in his dark eyes was apologetic and she could see how against he was about sharing the information with her. "I would much rather you spoke with my brother, Sakura-san. It is not my place to share his plans."

"Plans that apparently don't involve me," Sakura murmured, hurt. "Right?"

"I don't know." The words seemed so foreign on his tongue, like he rarely answered questions in such a way.

Itachi was right. What she needed was to discuss her relationship's future with Sasuke. But it hurt that he didn't find it necessary to discuss their future _together_. Didn't his plans involve her? Was that why he was silent? Was that why he changed the conversation whenever she asked about what he was doing education-wise when the summer was over?

"Come," he murmured and she could tell from his sudden rigidness that he knew he'd crossed a line. What the hell had Sasuke meant when he said Itachi was hard to understand? So far, she liked to believe she hadn't struggled too much. "We should join the others."

* * *

Joining the others had been the best idea, Sakura thought with a grin, unable to stop her squeal as she was spun and pulled and pushed, her idiotic blond best friend stumbling even while he tried his best to keep control of her. Probably trying to apologise for ditching her or keeping Sasuke tied up with their war. However, like she'd said she would, she had bottled away all the negativity. It could wait.

Not being a fool, Sakura hadn't bothered trying to catch up with the others in terms of drinking – they were too far gone for her. But she was having fun finishing whatever was put in front of her, listening to the screeching of the karaoke singers who dared to take to the stage. Several times, Naruto had begged her to join him up there, plying her with more and more alcohol to change her mind.

"Please," he whined, yanking her closer. His hands were sweaty as hell – or were hers the ones that were sweaty? It didn't matter. There were sweatier people surrounding them, dancing just as wildly. "Just one song."

"I'm not making an idiot of myself," she slurred but then laughed as he saved her from a fall, reminding her of earlier that day at McDonald's. Similar to then, she was bent over backwards with him keeping a tight hold of her, only this time, the ends of her hair reached the floor and she was quickly pulled back up when somebody got too close, almost stepping on her hair. "Naruto-"

"That's the best part about it, though," came another whine, his words elongated to stress how important it was to him. His back bumped with someone else's, but he didn't seem to care, patting the person on the shoulder when they apologised profusely for their drunk friend. "We'll choose a fun song."

Like hell she was singing on the karaoke in front of so many people, in front of her new friends, in front of her _boyfriend_. Just thinking of how badly she could embarrass herself had her flushing red (though, she supposed, that could have been the alcohol).

There was no warning as Naruto lifted their arms, spinning her. "This is the fun Sakura-chan," he told her and grinned when she looked over her shoulder at him in confusion. "You can let your hair down without caring about _him_ being embarrassed."

What? Her frown turned into more of a scowl and she turned around fully, stopping the dancing by pulling her hands free. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Naruto scratched at his red cheek before wiping his forehead. At least that answered the question of which one of them was sweating. "You don't do anything fun anymore because you're scared it'll embarrass Sasuke."

"That's not true-"

"Yeah, it is," he cut her off, somehow sobering up as his blue eyes bore into hers. "You used to love this stuff, Sakura-chan. Maybe not drinking because we were kids back then, but we always used to goof around."

She was growing up. That was all there was to it… right? Sakura glanced over her shoulder towards the table the group had chosen to sit at, offering both Sasuke and Itachi a smile when she noticed them looking her way. As expected of the Uchiha men: they didn't get involved in anything other than drinking, vehemently refusing to dance to the pop songs or take part in the karaoke. She wouldn't lie: they seemed arrogant as hell, seemed like they were so far above the rest of them.

Green eyes returned to blue. Did Naruto have a point? Had she changed her personality to adapt to the Uchiha family? She spent most of her time around their house or joining them on holidays, or going as Sasuke's plus one for dinner parties or whatever. Wasn't it only fitting that she behaved herself? Embarrassing them–

_Embarrassing them._

He was right. She was always worried about being an embarrassment to them, not wanting to step out of line or give Fugaku any reason to demand they split. All she really had going in her favour were her grades and the scholarships. Her background, while it wasn't poor, was obviously of a lower class than theirs.

"Fine," she suddenly agreed despite the vicious beating her heart was taking at her realisation. "I'll sing with you." She was quick to interrupt his cheer with her hand covering his mouth, demanding, "_After_ I've had more to drink."

Naruto didn't hesitate in dragging her back to the table and placing her in his previous seat, rushing off to the bar to demand refills for everyone.

"What's his problem?" questioned Sasuke, tearing his eyes away from their best friend.

"I told him I'll sing with him on the karaoke, but _only_ after I'm drunk."

The look sent her way was disapproving, his dark eyebrows knitting together as Sasuke critically assessed the woman already on the karaoke, butchering a much loved anime song. Nobody other than Sasuke cared, she noticed, staring out at the jumping crowd who were singing along, none of them denying their secret love for the show. It was brave of her to get on stage and sing such a song, though and for that, Sakura couldn't help but admire her. Being an otaku was looked down upon by many. But she didn't care as she belted out the words.

"Lighten up, little brother," Itachi said, voice raising somewhat to be heard over the singing. He picked up his drink, sipping from it. "What is the harm in joining the fun?"

"Making an idiot of yourself," came his muttered response.

Taking her boyfriend by surprise, she glared at him, snapping, "Well _this_ idiot is about to sign up. Have fun sitting in your corner, Sasuke-kun."

With that, she got up, pretending not to notice Itachi's smirk as he tried to hide it behind his glass. Naruto turned just as she reached him, his hands full with two separate trays of drinks: one filled with ordinary glasses and the other with shot glasses. Just the sight of them had dread filling her.

"This ought to do it," he said with a wicked grin, tipping his chin in a way that told her to go back to the table. "Cost me a fortune, so you're not backin' outta it."

Shit.

Head bowing in shame, she returned to the table she'd only _just_ left – dramatically, too. Sasuke seemed unimpressed, but at the same time, expectant, his eyebrow raising like he was waiting for an apology of some sort. To spite him, Sakura sat beside him but didn't look his way, nodding seriously for Naruto to place her shots before her, giving her boyfriend a smile when his face dropped.

"You'll throw up-"

"_Shots,"_ Naruto yelled, covering Sasuke's words. He was waving the others back to the table, grinning when they immediately returned, each taking their rightful places and grabbing their first shot glass. "Oi, you two need to do it, too."

Sighing, Itachi sat forward, seemingly accepting his fate and ignoring Kisame's wicked grin. The giant of them all had a shot in each hand, the other placed strategically on the table before him and Sakura's eyes went wide as she caught onto what he was going to do. Surely he wouldn't? Even _Ino_ paced herself with shots and the girl had built up a frightening tolerance.

Sasuke watched his brother in disbelief and in that moment, she could see him thinking over all that'd been drilled into his head. It had her letting go of her annoyance, as it truly wasn't his fault. At the end of the day, Fugaku was a bully. If his children didn't act in a certain way, then he made them feel worthless. Maybe having Itachi around would help Sasuke? Gods, she could only hope.

She smiled encouragingly, saying, "It's just one night." She leaned closer, kissing his cheek and smirking at the blush. "Let go, Sasuke-kun."

Uncertainly, with his eyes going between her and his brother, Sasuke nodded once and grabbed the shot glass. If she wasn't mistaken, it was his first ever. He'd only had two drinks that night, too. Hopefully, she would see a whole new version of her boyfriend, one whose personality wasn't squashed into a tiny box by his overbearing, controlling father.

"_Go!"_

The burn in the back of her throat had Sakura grimacing long enough to miss the flash of a camera. She slammed one glass to the table, looking up long enough to find that Kisame had already finished his three, Itachi shaking his head but unable to hide his smirk at his friend's antics.

"C'mon, Sakura-chan, Sasuke," Naruto pushed, holding his glass between her and Sasuke. Glancing at her boyfriend, she laughed at the disgusted expression. It was exactly how she felt about the taste. "Together!"

They gingerly clinked their glasses together, offering each other a solidarity, final glance, before downing the second shot. It was quickly followed by the third, wishing to get it out of the way and Sakura just _barely_ held back the urge to retch, to bring it all back up. She accepted the lemonade handed to her by Sasuke, her smile shaky as she tried to mask the awful burn.

"I don't know how I feel about that," murmured Konan, hand pressed to her mouth, amber eyes wide. Honestly, she looked lost for a few seconds, other hand holding onto Nagato, who was smiling at her response. "Naruto, what did you buy?"

His eyes went to the ceiling, expression thoughtful, but then he grinned and shrugged. "Dunno. I just asked for the strongest stuff because Sakura-chan won't sing with me unless she's drunk."

It certainly wouldn't be long, she thought. If anything, she needed to get it out of the way just in case she threw up. Shit, what did Ino say helped when she was drinking shots? She couldn't remember anything, other than, "Don't be a baby!" or "Have no fear!"

"Singing?" questioned Deidara and he reached behind him, yanking a plastic folder from beneath him. "There's one of these on all the tables."

There was a break between singers, Sakura suddenly noticed as the DJ addressed the crowd, turning the music up louder and drowning out the screaming of those still on the rides outside. The bass from the music felt as though it was pulsing through her body and she struggled to hear what the others were saying to one another, green eyes narrowing on their lips like she could suddenly lipread. Sasori was saying something to Deidara, his eyes rolling, but something about the evening had to be going right, because she could have sworn there was a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Naruto was on his feet and scanning the folder, yelling, "We have to sing somethin' fun. None of that serious shit."

She looked out at the large crowd, though was unable to make out any faces due to the dim lights. There were special effect lights flashing around the room, but never long enough for her buzzed mind to take much notice. It had her questioning what it was about drinking in clubs that Ino enjoyed so much. Was it the loud music? The inability to think? The bumping of strangers on the dance floor? The connection between everyone as they let loose?

"What about this?" Naruto was suddenly kneeling before her, pointing to a song. "We could kill this."

Hell no. She doubted she could even hold a note at that moment in time, never mind trying to keep up with someone like _him_. "I'm not rappin'," she slurred.

He pouted, but didn't let it keep him down. "This one, then!"

She blanched at just the sight of the title. "Uh, I don't think my voice can handle that."

"Sakura-chan, c'mon," whined Naruto, all but bouncing from foot to foot when he shot up out of his kneeling position. "You can't say no to them all."

She'd only said no to two of them. The first one because she knew of the song – it was literally titled _Rap God_ and the speed the guy rapped at was insane. The other was… "No, seriously," she stressed and shook her head. "Do I look like I can sing rock songs?"

"No, but you look like a screamer-"

Itachi silenced Kisame's crude joke with a half-hearted glare, offering his younger brother an apologetic (but also a what-am-I-supposed-to-do-about-it) smile. Trying to take his mind off his joke, she took her boyfriend's hand, though her attention wasn't on him for long when the others began searching for a song for her and Naruto to sing.

"Do this one," Konan slurred, stumbling over her words as she shoved the list of songs onto Sakura's lap, finger almost covering the title completely. "She's an American singer."

Naruto's English was awful, though. He wouldn't have any fun singing it.

"That band's on here," suggested Sasuke, taking them all by surprise. "The one you used to love."

Used to? Sakura gripped the folder, barely holding back her grin as she found a whole page dedicated to them. There was no 'used to', she merely toned down her fan-girl tendencies around her boyfriend for fear of scaring him away, or reminding him of how she used to behave around him.

"I haven't heard them in a while," Itachi stated, his eyes fixed on the page.

"It's not too rocky, either," Naruto said with a grin.

"But they have 'rock' in their name," argued Yahiko. He looked to his girlfriend, then to his friend in confusion, pouting when they laughed at his expression. "Somebody explain?"

"Last Dance?"

She shook her head at Konan's recommendation.

"Wherever You Are?" suggested Nagato.

"Oi, I already said no serious shit," Naruto snapped, frowning. "I don't want her gettin' emotional up there, y'know."

"No Scared?" It was Sasuke who suggested the song, taking a sip of his drink.

"Too much English for Naruto," she retorted.

"Oi, I'm not too bad at it when I'm singin'," he stressed. "Hurry and choose!"

"Liar." She looked up at Itachi in surprise, his eyes already on her. "There is a balance between screaming and singing. It is also made up of Japanese and English, making it a good choice for you both."

Kisame rolled his eyes and fell back into his seat, laughing disbelievingly while rubbing a hand up and down his tattooed face. "Trust you to take it so seriously, Itachi-san."

* * *

They were up there way too fast for her liking and she had a horrible feeling that Naruto bribed the DJ for the spot.

What happened to being unable to see their faces due to all the lights on the stage? Sakura was unable to find her voice as the crowd stared up at her, already throwing their heads forward in time to the music as they recognised the song.

"_Go, Sakura,"_ she heard one of their friends yell, probably seeing her fright.

"_What do you want from me?"_ Naruto's uneasy use of the English language had her wincing, wondering if the crowd would laugh at him for it, but they didn't. They didn't care.

Shit, it was her go. "_Just let me breathe a little."_

"_What do you want to see?"_

"_What's in front of your eyes?"_

Naruto was encouraging in his own way, his excitement and cheerful personality shining through with the way he bounced around the stage. There was no gradually gaining confidence as he already had it, uncaring whether or not he got the words wrong. He didn't even look at the screen other than to see when he was supposed to sing.

"_What do you want to believe?"_

"_Still nothing can be settled."_

"_Hold onto your words," _he sang, looking her way and grinning. The grin alone willed her to loosen up, to just enjoy herself. "_You say, it's no good."_

"_What are you looking for?" _Breathe, she begged of herself, trying to ignore the fact Deidara was kneeling on his seat, his phone up in the air, recording them. "_What are you getting out of this?"_

"_It's one or the other! I still don't know what all this is." _The blond by her side was nodding – no, throwing his head forward less enthusiastically than the audience, preparing himself to really go for it during the chorus. "_Next to me, you're laughing…"_

Thank the Gods, Sakura couldn't help but think, noticing the change of colour on the screen. It meant they were singing the chorus together.

"_Hey liar, hey liar," _she sang, though was drowned out by Naruto's screaming (for lack of better word). "_What do you think of living without me?"_

Loosen up, she begged herself, unable to deny she was getting stressed. The buzz from the alcohol was stronger than before, allowing her to ease into it, but she couldn't get the sight of the crowd out of her mind. Staring up at her, _judging her_. She was _embarrassing herself._

"_Hey liar, hey liar! What are the lies? Which is the truth?"_

What the hell was she doing up there? Next to Naruto, she more than likely looked stiff. Out of place. Downright stupid.

"C'mon, Sakura-chan," Naruto said with a grin instead of singing the lines, throwing his arm over her shoulders. "We've got this. Nobody cares if we make idiots of ourselves."

She looked out at the crowd, who apparently hadn't even noticed they weren't singing the words, too caught up in rocking out to the song as it continued to play. Behind them all, she noticed their friends, their lips moving in time with the words and it warmed her heart that Sasuke was even singing along, head softly nodding in time with the beat. Was that encouragement?

"_It's just like déjà vu again,"_ her best friend sang, nodding at her to carry on.

"_Trying so hard to know inside of you,"_ Don't focus on them, she told herself, her eyes locked on Naruto's. _"Staring in your eyes to feel, so that this feeling reaches you."_

"_I wish, but it's the opposite of my dream. So cold!"_

"_So cold."_

His hand gave hers a squeeze for a brief moment, eyes shining brightly, enjoying that she was relaxing as they sang together, "_Next to me, you're smiling…"_

"_Hey liar," _Naruto yelled into the microphone, already bouncing to the other side of the stage, throwing his head forward.

_Let go,_ she told herself and grinned, willing the alcohol to take control. "_Hey liar!"_

"_This and that are already lies,"_ they half-sang, half-yelled together. "_I'm tired. So tired! What do you think of living without me?"_

It was definitely more fun singing Naruto's way, Sakura decided, moving to the music. Forget about trying to stay in tune – she was probably doing even worse because of focusing so hard on it. _"There's nothing left to bleed."_

"_There's nothing left to bleed," _he sang louder, nodding at her to _really_ go for it.

And she did, hold tightening on the microphone as she felt her face flushing red. "_There's nothing left to bleed, my heart can't take this anymore!"_ Shit, her heart was racing. Was it adrenaline? Was it because she was shoving aside all worries? Sakura had to admit, she _loved_ not caring. _"There's nothing left to bleed._"

"_There's nothing left to bleed."_ Naruto was red in the face, his grin of approval so wide that it had her returning it without hesitation.

"_There's nothing left to bleed," _she surprised even herself by joining him in the screaming, watching him in awe as he stood tall, arms outstretched. "_My heart can't take this anymore!"_

Holy shit. Was he seriously about to–

Sakura's eyes went wide as Naruto dove onto the crowd, grin from ear to ear as they carried him. That idiot. She couldn't… They were going to drop him, right? Surely. Across the bar, she saw Sasuke watching her intently, all previous encouragement gone, his head shaking minutely, but the friends she'd made were sat behind him, yelling at her to go for it, to join Naruto in his craziness. But she couldn't. It would be way too much–

Behind his brother, Itachi nodded once, smirking, telling her with that expression alone to do whatever she wanted.

To hell with it. Even though her boyfriend was telling her not to, the freaking heir of the company was telling her to do it.

So she did it.

"_Hey liar,"_ Naruto somehow managed to carry on, his voice unsteady as he moved on the wave. "_Hey liar!"_

Grinning, Sakura dove in after him, belting out as best as she could,_ "What d'you think of living without me?"_

They were closer to the group and she grinned at the crowd's loud cheering, their hands supportive as they guided her around the room. It didn't even bother her when she met Sasuke's eyes, his face stone cold.

She looked away, yelling, _"Nee, liar, oh yeah, liar! The things we're stopping, is it meaningless?"_

She was breathless when they returned to the stage, not surprised in the least when Naruto stole the show by ending the song dramatically.

* * *

"Who'd have thought you had it in you?" Kisame said, impressed as he clapped her on the back, unknowingly nearly sending her flying. Fortunately for her, Nagato steadied her.

"You should let go more often," Deidara agreed and offered her a drink. "Art is a bang, yeah. Like life." She frowned at that, confused, leading him to say, "It lasts for a moment. There's nothing great about spending forever trying for perfection – it's all about how it is in the moment."

She liked his view on art, strangely enough. Although Sasori clearly disagreed (what with his eye roll and muttering under his breath), she didn't. It'd felt… She couldn't think of the best word to use. Empowering? No. Like she was free? Definitely. Sure, it was only singing on stage, but it meant a lot to her.

The next singers were up, the slow song they'd chosen getting Yahiko out of his seat and he held his hand out to Konan, smiling when she didn't hesitate to take it. They were gone only seconds later, with him spinning her onto the dance floor. It had her watching them with barely restrained envy, because she wished, more than anything, that Sasuke would dance with her like that. Not because he had to, like he most often did at dinner parties, where he would sway to the music without really listening to the words, but _living in the moment_. Enjoying it all. She wanted to have fun with him and the realisation _hurt_, making her quickly finish the drink she was given.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him replying to whatever Itachi had said to him, his features twisting with a grimace when he glanced around the table. Itachi's response to that was the narrowing of his eyes and whatever he said while doing so, had Sasuke stiffening in his seat. Raising an eyebrow in silent question, she was rewarded with a minute shake of his head, which was followed by him returning to pushing Sasuke into something. Even with his back to her, Sakura could tell her boyfriend was getting pissed off with what was being said to him.

And then, without warning, he was grabbing the glass out of her hand and putting on the table, pulling her away from everyone.

But she surprised him by yanking her hand away, trying her best not to take notice of the group behind her.

"You want to dance, right?" he demanded, cheeks flushed.

There was no anger within her, she noted with surprise. Only disappointment. "Not if you don't want to dance with me."

"Don't want to-" Sasuke shook his head in disbelief, eyes refusing to meet anyone's behind her. Were they staring at them? He stepped closer, telling her, "I _want_ to dance with you, Sakura. I just-" He cut himself off again and she was stunned when the lights briefly lit up his face, showing how _hard_ he was blushing. "It was good seeing you let loose like that – not jumping into the crowd, but before that. When you were dancing and singing. But I can't-"

She took his hand, pulling him to the darker side of the dance floor where he would be most comfortable, grinning at his sigh. He needed coaxing out of his shell, too. The influence the Uchiha family had on her wasn't half as bad as how badly the sons were pushed. Her boyfriend needed her to be patient, to help him.

Grinning, her arms slid around his neck and she closed the distance between them, moving with a gentle sway to the slow song. He had plenty of experience in slow dancing, she _knew_ he did. But tonight, he was going to _enjoy_ the dancing. He was going to enjoy the rest of the night because his damned father wasn't there to bully him.

"Nobody's watching us," she assured him, keeping his back to the other dancers. "If I can have fun singing and dancing on stage like that, you sure as hell can enjoy dancing with me here."

He nodded, breathing in deeply before taking the lead in the dancing. The intense look in his eyes had her smiling shyly, her heart hammering away in her chest. It was rare for Sasuke to let go – rare, as in, it never happened. Ever. Sure, he could go on spontaneous road trips or go to amusement park openings, but he never fully enjoyed the moment. He never let himself get lost in it. The fact he was willing to try for her made her night complete and for the time being, she let go of the hurt she felt earlier that night, pushing it to the back of her mind completely. Originally, she had wanted to yell at him for standing her up and making her look like an idiot, but it didn't matter in that moment. Not when he was holding her so closely, not when he spun her around before bringing her closer again, his eyes locked on hers.

_Yell at him back at the hotel_, she thought numbly.

* * *

It was around six in the morning when they returned to the hotel room, feet dragging behind those of the group who could still walk, whereas others were physically dragged through the halls.

The night was verging on epic – a night they would all remember for years to come, she was certain. Even Sasuke had admitted it was a good night, proving his point when he didn't let her leave the dance floor for a whole hour before allowing her to grab more drinks, quickly returning to dancing once they were finished. He even let her back on the karaoke with Naruto (though only _after_ promising no more crowd surfing), followed by a turn with Deidara, followed by another with Konan. The drinking had certainly helped to ease some of her anger from earlier that night, as Sakura had never been an angry drunk. She was pretty mellow, choosing to see the best of bad situations. And as of that night, she was now someone who could let go after a certain number of drinks, proven by the crowd surfing she'd participated in.

Well, she was mellow and carefree, but only until she stopped drinking. After that… It became crushingly obvious _why_ alcohol was labelled as a depressant.

"I'm gonna shower," she slurred, almost missing her bag in her attempt to make a swift exit.

Due to the state he'd gotten himself in, Nagato had offered his spare bed to Naruto, though Sakura had a sneaking suspicion the offer was only made after Itachi pushed him into it. A way to give her and Sasuke the chance to talk. Honestly, Sakura didn't have the energy for it. She wanted to shower and collapse in bed, just in time for the world to start spinning.

"_Is that a good idea?"_ Sasuke called through the door, then knocked obnoxiously when he didn't get an answer. _"Oi."_

She dumped her overnight bag on what she'd thought was the counter, only to frown in confusion when it fell to the ground. Had it moved? Surely not? To try and prove to herself it hadn't, Sakura reached out, but let out an unladylike squawk when she missed and stumbled, almost crashing into the mirror.

"Stupid counter," she snarled, giving it a swift kick. "I'm tryin' to hold… you."

"_Shower in the morning,"_ came her boyfriend's insistent voice. "_You're gonna hurt yourself."_

He had a point, she supposed, but she smelled _really_ bad after that night's excitement and they were going to be sharing a bed. They'd napped together before and had shared a sleeping bag while camping (with others in the same tent), but for the first time ever, she was sharing a real bed with Sasuke. Alone. She had to make sure she smelled good.

"_I'm coming in if you don't answer me."_

Oh, he sounded angry. Sakura debated staying silent, her stomach twisting with excitement at the thought of an angered Sasuke. It was when he was most passionate – unable to control himself or his emotions, often saying exactly what was on his mind, uncaring of the consequences.

"I'm so sad," she said with a laugh at her own expense. Shaking her head, Sakura dug through her bag until she found her deodorant, inwardly grimacing when she faced facts that she couldn't shower like she wanted to. "I'm coming," she yelled back to him. "Lemme take my makeup off."

It was a gruelling process, but one she knew she had to endure. Sleeping in her makeup made her feel gross, so even while the world was spinning and threatening to knock her on her ass, Sakura found the time to remove her makeup. She would rather that than risk her complexion getting bad.

"Clogged pores are a big, big, _big_ problem," she told herself in a sing-song voice and leaned closer to the mirror, checking to make sure she didn't have any spots in the making.

"_What?"_ Sasuke demanded. His words were almost as slurred as her own. _"Get out here already."_

Rolling her eyes, she did as she was told, though told him while passing him to the bed and placing down her bag, "I'm not your pet, y'know."

"My pet?" he repeated and stumbled after her, pulling his face. "What d'you mean?"

"You're always bossing me around."

"M'not."

"Are."

"M'not."

She couldn't help but grin at the confusion on his face. "Are!"

"How?"

He sat down on the end of what was supposed to be Naruto's bed, kicking off his jeans and placing his hands behind him when he found he needed help balancing. Pretending not to notice him in the slightest, Sakura spun around unsteadily and followed his example. Unlike him, however, who slept in a pair of shorts, she had actual pyjamas that consisted of three quarter length pants and a baggy shirt. At the time, they'd seemed like the best option considering she'd believed Naruto was sharing a room with them, but now she questioned whether or not they were the right choice. Maybe she should've gone with the short shorts?

"Controllin'," she mumbled and fell into bed, groaning when the spinning wouldn't stop. "Always bossin' me around. Y'know others notice?"

It looked like he was struggling with his socks, almost toppling over onto the floor in his attempt to remove them. "No, I don't."

"Do."

"Don't-" Sasuke cut himself off and threw her a glare. "Don't start that again." She grinned cheekily at him and he rolled his eyes, though was glad when he finally managed to get the socks off, sighing in relief. "I don't order you around – wait, who noticed? Was it that idiot Naruto?"

_Please stop spinning. Please stop spinning. Please stop spinning._

She'd never gotten sick off alcohol before, but then again, Sakura had always made sure to stick to her limit for fear of getting so sick that her parents would find out about her drinking. Unfortunately, she hadn't stuck to that important rule. They'd been drinking for a solid five hours (seven for some of the group) and each time they felt themselves sobering up, they moved onto doubles and shots.

The sun was already rising, she noticed with a groan, however smiled gratefully when Sasuke leaned over, yanking the curtains shut. "Thanks."

Even though she'd been expecting it, Sakura still flinched when the bed dipped beside her, Sasuke throwing himself down heavily. For a moment, she hated him for it, her stomach flipping warningly, telling her to stop moving unless she wanted to see everything she'd eaten that night again.

Conversations from throughout the night replayed themselves in her mind, reminding Sakura that she had a task that needed completing. But was now the right time, she couldn't help but wonder. They were both pretty wasted, barely even able to move without being overwhelmed with the urge to throw up. Hell, she couldn't even look in his direction without feeling like everything was off balance. It was safer to keep as still as possible.

"Oi."

How romantic. Sakura shut her eyes with a sigh. "What?"

"Did 'tachi say anything?"

He said way too much, as far as she was concerned. She groaned inwardly, refraining from rubbing her face in frustration. No, Itachi had been making valid points. It was due to how _real_ those points were that she'd been hurt by them. No, not hurt. Angered. Gods, they'd made her so damn angry. She and Sasuke weren't perfect, but they loved each other despite that.

…Even if he'd never actually said the words to her before.

No, there was a reason why he was still with her. Sasuke wouldn't waste his time on something meaningless – she had to look beneath his cold exterior, the mask he wore around others to keep them at arm's length because he thought he was some kind of stoic, badass anime character. Stupid boy. It didn't make him any less of a man admitting his feelings or being emotional. She wished, more than anything, that he could understand that. But he was brought up to cringe at the mere thought of opening up in such a so-called 'feminine' way, because _Gods_, only _women_ and _children __cried_ – men weren't allowed to have emotions. Didn't anybody know that? It was a sign of being weak and nobody liked a weak man.

Stupid Fugaku. Bastard.

Sakura wasn't afraid to admit that she was emotional as hell. She cried when she was upset (sometimes when she was happy and angry, too). Yelled when she was angry. Jumped with joy and cheered when she was happy. Why? Because she was a freaking human being with emotions. Not some robot who had to stay in complete control one hundred percent of the time. Emotions were what made people _human_. It was what defined them. Damn it, it pissed her the hell off when she heard people berating guys for showing their vulnerability.

"Itachi-san?" she mumbled sleepily and debated how much energy it would take to get under the covers. Too much, she decided after tugging weakly for a couple of seconds. At least it prepared her for the morning when the heat hit. "What d'you mean?"

"He took you," he began, then paused, shaking his head. "I mean he was there when I let you down."

Oh. That. After refusing to talk about it all night (for fear of ruining the fun), the alcohol had placed it to the very back of her mind. "Not much," came her easy lie. Telling Sasuke the truth was too much drama for her to handle at that moment in time. He would go straight to his brother and _attempt_ to beat the shit out of him. Key word there was _attempt_, she thought with a grin. "Took me on the big wheel. We ate. Drank. Found you guys. Now we're here and he's… wherever."

"Room one hundred and sixty-three with Kisame."

Fascinating. "I like Itachi-san," she told him. Risking to turn her head to the side, she was surprised to find Sasuke already looking at her, his bangs falling into his eyes. Smiling, Sakura brushed them out of the way, heart-warming when he leaned into her touch. "He's been really kind." When he wasn't being mean about their relationship and bursting her bubble. "And he got me to try new foods, even though it turned out we don't like some of 'em."

Quietly, almost so softly that she missed it entirely, Sasuke admitted to her, "I like that he likes you."

"Mm?"

"Aa."

When her eyes began to feel heavy, she shut them without hesitation, though refused to fall asleep. Instead, she found her mouth asking without her permission, "Where are you studying in the fall, Sasuke-kun?"

There was a long pause. Then… "That bastard." Oh, his liking of Itachi had suddenly changed. She reluctantly opened her eyes to find Sasuke glaring up at the ceiling, his hands clenched into fists. "He should've kept his mouth shut."

Like hell he was shoving the blame onto someone else, her sobering mind snapped. "No, _you_ should've opened _yours_," came her angry retort, though her tiredness stole the impact of her words. "Why the hell am I hearing somethin' ominous like that from your brother? Why haven't you told me anything yourself, huh?"

"Ominous?" he repeated, eyes narrowing. Turning his head to the side, he regarded her silently for a moment before demanding, "What the hell did he say?"

Well, nothing, really. "It was the _way_ he said it-"

"Not that bullshit again-"

"Oi, don't talk to me like that, Uchiha Sasuke." The drink had definitely made her braver. Just not brave enough to risk the chance of throwing up if she moved. She would have rather been discussing their future while sitting face to face. Not while collapsed in bed and in the process of sobering up. "It's obvious that whatever you're gonna do in fall, won't involve me or you're original plan."

"Which was?"

"Which was to…" Her voice trailed off. What exactly had been the original plan? Sakura was startled to admit that she didn't actually know what Sasuke wanted to do. Whenever she heard of 'the plan', it was always what Fugaku had said. Never her boyfriend's own words. She sighed. "I don't know."

"That's because nobody ever asks me," he muttered coldly and continued to glare at the ceiling. "They assume. Itachi is the first person to ask me what _I_ wanted to do and it made me realise there's less doors open for me than I originally thought."

She'd never thought of it that way before. How could she have not realised her boyfriend was being forced to live a certain way? It was so obvious, too. The way he acted. Dressed. Communicated with others. It was all so similar to the way his father did those things.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

The pause in their conversation was long and awkward. For the duration of it, she tried to find the right words to ask him about his plans and whether they involved her, but there were none. In all that time, Sakura had truly believed that her boyfriend was the insensitive one, but it'd been her, too. It _was_ her. Just as much as it was him.

"You have scholarships at different universities around the world," he muttered suddenly. "Universities offering to support you financially throughout the process of becoming a doctor. What do I have?" came his quiet demand and she heard his fists clench tighter. "I have a fund that my father controls. A _few_ degree choices at _one_ university. I have a company that I can be part of, but never run."

The realisation made her feel sicker than the alcohol. "…You're stuck in Konoha."

"And you want to travel."

_That_ was what had been bothering him, she realised with a sickening feeling building in the pit of her stomach. It was like there was a hole there, one the size of Fugaku's fist, and everything was being sucked straight out of the hole.

"But Itachi-san travelled, too. You-"

"Itachi had scholarships because he was the perfect student," he said with deep contempt, upper lip curling. "He had the financial aid to prove our father wrong – I don't. I have always come second. To Itachi. To you-"

Woah. Was that why he'd grown so distant from her lately? Did he hold a grudge against her? Was there a growing hatred? "No, you haven't." Despite the horrendous dizziness, Sakura sat up and faced him with a frown, going as far as to grab his face when Sasuke refused to look at her. "You have never been second to me, Sasuke-kun. How can you say that when I have _always _put you first in everything I've ever done?"

"That's why I didn't say anything," he snapped angrily and tugged his face free of her hold. "I didn't want it to have any influence in your choices. You put me before your friends and family and even yourself."

And since coming to his decision, he'd been working hard to detach himself from her emotionally. That… "You're a bastard," she snarled at him, though refused to cry about it. "How the hell can you make that decision for me?"

"You-"

"No," she snapped. "Shut up and listen to _me_ for once." Her words and her anger had him staring up at her in surprise until slowly, Sasuke also sat up, their faces inches apart. "I get what you tried to do for me, but you had no right, Sasuke-kun. I love you. You know I love you more than anything. My dream can be accomplished here, or Suna, or _wherever_, but the most important thing about accomplishing your goals, is having the people you love standing beside you when it all happens – so they can celebrate with you and support you. What's the harm in staying in Konoha with you, if it means I'm happy while achieving that goal?"

Dark eyes shut, his breath leaving him in a heavy sigh and Sakura inwardly cringed at the strong smell of shots. Gods, she was going to be sick if she wasn't careful. She was barely keeping everything down. "Some universities can offer you more-"

"But in the long run, I'll still be a doctor," Sakura said fiercely and her grip on the bed tightened as she tried her best to steady herself. "They may have better facilities, or programs in their hospitals for people like me, but who the hell cares, Sasuke-kun?"

"_You_ care," he said with annoyance. "_I_ care. You deserve the best. Don't deprive yourself of opportunities for some teenage romance."

The words knocked the breath out of her and she sat back, staring at him in disbelief, lips parting in shock. Had he really just labelled their relationship – their _five year_ relationship – as something as petty as a teenage romance? How could he brush it off like that? Like it was some childish bit of nothing? Like the past five years meant nothing to him?

His eyes went wide, seemingly catching on. "I didn't-"

"It may be some _teenage _romance to you, but to me, it's everything. It's the past five years of my life. It's made me who I am, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him, voice shaking under the immense hurt and rage swirling deep inside of her. Gods, she couldn't believe the anger she felt for him in that moment. "You've played a part in making me who I am today. We've achieved and done so much together – back before we even started going out."

"Sakura, I-"

"You _are_ my life, Sasuke-kun. It's why I put up with so much of your bullshit. Because I love you and always have. I always will. If you can't see that – if your _goals_ are that fucking important, more important than us or _me_-"

She was silenced by his lips descending on hers, his fingers tangling in the back of her hair, keeping her close to him. The kiss was just as chaotic as he was, filling her with mixed emotions as she kissed him back just as desperately. Grabbing at him, Sakura sighed, wondering why it had taken so long for him to show her such passion, her head tipping back when she had to part for air. Deciding a few seconds was long enough for her, Sasuke's lips returned to hers, moving insistently, demanding her full attention as he did his best to convey everything he was feeling through the kiss alone.

There was an apology. Understanding. Disbelief that they had both been so goddamn foolish. Most importantly, she could feel his love for her. The love that had spurred him to act to selflessly regarding her future and what it could've meant for them.

"Nothing," he told her between kisses, bringing her impossibly closer, "will ever be more important than this."

And that was why she dealt with so much of his bullshit. That was why she put up with the insensitive asshole he could be. It was because she _knew_ he had feelings for her hidden beneath it all – he'd simply been taught not to show said feelings.

"Don't question your worth again."

She nodded quickly, hands tugging and pulling at him, an intense burning of her stomach being somewhat alleviated when he dragged her onto his lap, allowing her to straddle him. His hands gripped at her hips, fingers biting into her skin in a way that had her shivering with want. While they'd certainly made out in the past, it had never been as heated as it was in that moment, with them both nearly overwhelmed by their feelings, by their need to feel one another.

"If you want to study abroad, do it," he breathed, nose bumping against hers in their hurried kisses. "If you stay here, fine." She was glad she wasn't the only one panting for breath when they parted, his dark eyes burning into hers. "But know that this will never change regardless of what you choose."

Because he loved her. Because he only wanted the best for her.

"You're mine and I'm yours. _We belong to each other._"

"I love you," she whispered and took control of the next kiss, almost knocking him over.


	6. And Forget What's Driven Us Apart

**Chapter 6**

**And Forget What's Driven Us Apart**

* * *

"You two seem to be in a better mood," said Naruto knowingly the next day.

They'd slept straight through breakfast, only emerging from their pit when Naruto returned to the room, saying the others were going for lunch if they wanted to join them. Why not make a weekend of it? He'd asked them with a shrug. And honestly? Sakura couldn't find a single argument against it.

After being so open the night before, she was certainly having a better time. Before things had gone too far for them to stop, she and Sasuke had decided to slow down, despite the fact she could feel how intense his reaction was while they'd been making out. No matter what, she'd reminded herself while trying to sleep, trying to ignore the heat coming from her boyfriend's body as he settled down behind her in bed, they were going to make sure their first time was special. It wasn't going to be rushed or influenced by alcohol. It would be too tragic.

Walking hand in hand with Sasuke, Sakura couldn't help but smile at the others. They watched them knowingly, probably assuming the worst of them, but it didn't matter to her. They could believe what they wanted to believe – she and Sasuke knew the truth. And, when she caught Itachi's eye once the others stopped paying them so much attention, she mouthed a genuine, "Thank you." He merely nodded once, offering a small smile before resuming his conversation with Sasori.

They didn't seem too effected by their hangovers, though Sakura found she needed the assistance of sunglasses once they left the hotel. The sun was overbearing, her head pounding with the effects of the alcohol abuse the night before. She would be fine after something to eat and fresh air, which was why she wasn't against walking to the café one of the others had found during a morning walk.

The streets were much busier than what they'd been yesterday now that the amusement park was officially open, leaving them to often separate into a single file line, allowing others to pass them in the same fashion.

"We should go to the beach after," she found herself suggesting. "It's too nice to not do anything."

"So we're staying, then?" demanded Naruto, grinning. "All weekend?"

"I don't see why not," Sakura replied with a shrug. "I'm off work for a week and have no other plans. Do you, Sasuke-kun?" He shook his head, tugging her closer when another group approached, passing them without offering to share much of the sidewalk. It had him shooting them an annoyed glare, but he otherwise remained silent. "Then it's settled. We're staying."

He cheered and quickened his pace to the others, yelling, "We're staying!"

She couldn't help but smile at the excitement in his voice. One thing was for sure when it came to Naruto: he _loved_ getting to know people or spending time with his friends. It was something she had always admired about him, as there was never any negative feelings holding him back from striking up a conversation with a stranger. Granted, there were times when he _didn't_ get on with people, but compared to how well it usually went, they were rare to happen. He was a likeable guy.

Glancing to her left, Sakura admired the beach. It was already pretty busy, but it was in an inviting way, with families and groups of friends hanging out, goofing off and ice cream or hotdog stands working to keep up with the steady flow of customers.

"We should probably get some supplies, then," she heard Konan tell the others. "I doubt I am the only one who didn't come prepared for a day on the beach."

No, she wasn't. "There's supposed to be a mall nearby," responded Sakura without missing a beat, ignoring Sasuke's teasing smirk. He always claimed that before going anywhere, she checked to make sure there were at least five stores where she could shop. "They'll have everything we need."

Much to her gratefulness, they did. The group chipped in, managing to purchase beach towels, a couple of parasols, a cheap BBQ (along with food), sunscreen, plenty of drinks and a radio. Then, they bought their own swimming costumes and anything else they needed (and Sakura wasn't ashamed to admit she treated herself to a new pair of flip flops and a woven sunhat).

Finding a spot on the beach was tricky, however. Most of the good spots were taken by the time they arrived and most of them agreed that they wanted somewhere away from screaming kids, who were already beginning to drive them insane. After searching for what felt like a lifetime, they picked a spot further away from everyone else, one that held a huge collection of rocks to the far right, giving her and Konan a private space to change into their swimming costumes.

Leaving said private spot was surprisingly difficult for her, though. Given hygiene issues, people obviously couldn't try items like swimming costumes or underwear on in stores, instead having to take risks of buying them. If they didn't look right, then that was too bad.

The bottom half of her red bikini was fine – it covered everything it needed to cover and Sakura had always been comfortable with her thighs and hips and whatever else. It was her breasts that were her main concern. Stealing a glance at the woman beside her, Sakura inwardly pouted, though was somewhat happy to find Konan had a natural breast size. She supposed her own weren't that much smaller and the design certainly helped with giving them a bit of a boost, but… Could she really reveal herself in such a way?

"_You're not a whore, so quit acting like one."_

"Sakura?"

She was dragged out of her thoughts by the older woman, who was watching her with a small amount of concern. Her amber eyes were assessing her features, trying to find the problem without the words ever being spoken. Like herself, Konan's curves were subtle, but the natural beauty of her face made up for it. Her straight blue hair was pulled into a bun, her makeup minimal, if any at all.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she lied, wondering if perhaps wearing her linen, zip up hoodie would make her look stupid.

"You're nervous." The words weren't a question and Konan suddenly sighed, leaning back against the large rock they were using as a cover. She risked a glance towards the others, satisfied to find they were busy setting their area up. "Does this have anything to do with yesterday?"

They both knew that, if she said no, it was a blatant lie. But they also knew she wouldn't outright admit the truth, either. So, Sakura remained silent, choosing to busy herself with shoving her clothes into the bag her shopping had been in. When that was done and it was clear Konan wasn't letting it go, she focused on weaving her mid length hair into two loose plaits, completing the look with the hat.

Sighing again, Konan admitted, "I often struggle with my image, also."

That caught her attention instantly, green eyes widening. "But you seem so confident."

She smiled at that. "And sometimes, by acting so confident with my body, I start to feel confident with it." It couldn't be so simple, could it? Gaining confidence by acting like she already had it? "You soon come to learn that there are more important things to worry about," she told her gently. "It becomes the least of your concerns."

"But don't you ever feel inferior?" she questioned, only to scowl at herself for asking such a pointless question. At some point in their lives, everyone felt inferior. To feel inferior about body parts was so stupid.

"There will always be someone who makes you feel inferior," Konan admitted and reached into her bag, placing the pair of sunglasses she'd bought on top of her head. "Mentally, physically. It doesn't matter how great you are at something, because there will always be someone who is better."

They just had to work on not letting it get to them. That was easier said than done when the image of Sakura's supposed best friend turning up at her boyfriend's house tortured her mind. Ino had always gone against the traditional views of a woman, refusing to feel oppressed. But to go as far as to turn up in nothing but a bikini, when she _knew _looked amazing… How the hell was Sakura supposed to compete with that? Sure, she had the dip in her waist that emphasised the curve of her hips, but what about the rest of her? Ino's curves were so… exaggerated, for lack of better word. They were impressively, dishearteningly huge.

"It is only an issue if you allow it to be," came Konan's soft voice, her head dipping to try and catch her eye. "Unless…?"

"Unless?"

She once more glanced to the group before lowering her voice further, asking, "Unless Sasuke-"

"No, no," she quickly cut her off, waving her hands dismissively, the bag rustling annoyingly. "Sasuke-kun and I haven't – I mean, we-"

Amber eyes widened in surprise, her full lips parting. "You haven't?" Her cheeks burned as she shook her head. Faintly, the corner of her lips pulled up. "That's rare in this day and age," she admitted to her. "And he hasn't pressured you at all?" Again, Sakura shook her head, cheeks getting hotter. Realisation must have suddenly hit her, because Konan said in surprise, "And that's why you're insecure."

"Partly," she whispered.

"Cherish your bond with Sasuke, Sakura," Konan told her, her eyes pleading with her to truly listen to her words. "Most relationships nowadays are mainly about sex, or society leads the couple to believe it has to be. The fact you and Sasuke have been together so long and have only recently felt such pressure is…" She shook her head, giving her a small smile. "It's rare to happen."

It was? Due to being a few inches taller than herself, Sakura had a harder time peeking over the top of the rock, green eyes seeking out her boyfriend. He was talking with Naruto and his brother about something, his features inquisitive. Did Sasuke ever feel the same way? Did he feel the same pressure? Was he aware of how rare their relationship was?

"Hold onto that innocence, Sakura," she vaguely heard Konan say while collecting their things to join the others. "There is nothing worse than looking back and regretting your choices."

Clearly, she wasn't going to say much more, as the older woman began to make her way over to the group, smiling at the way Yahiko took in her appearance. For a moment, she wondered if perhaps that was what she meant, but then noticed he only showed his appreciation when the others weren't looking, his eyes warm when their fingers laced.

Sakura took a deep breath, packing away her jacket. Screw it, she told herself. If she couldn't feel confident, then she would follow Konan's example and fake it. Eventually, it would come to her. It was all about finding herself, right?

There wasn't much of a reaction to her return, she noticed with a sigh of relief, placing her bag down beside Sasuke's. Once he noticed her, he walked away from the other two, only pausing to smack Naruto upside the head when the blond whistled appreciatively, making her roll her eyes. If she could rely on anyone to give her a boost in confidence or support something she was doing, it was her idiot (but also, not that much of an idiot) best friend.

Sasuke smirked when he reached her, the sight of her boyfriend in his low hanging, navy trunks making her mouth feel dry. Gods, he was beautiful.

"I like it," he murmured, though surprised her by not looking away from her face. "You look comfortable."

She did? Even with the raging blush on her cheeks? She glanced down at the space between them, wanting nothing more than to run her fingers along her boyfriend's abs. He wasn't one to boast or show off his body because he knew he looked good, so it was rare for her to see the efforts of his athleticism (other than the broadening of his shoulders and other, visible body parts).

"You don't think it's too much?" she asked unsurely, meeting his gaze.

He shook his head. "It suits you because you look comfortable."

She smiled, knowing that was as close to a compliment as she would get – at least, while out in public where the others could hear them.

"Let's join the others," he said, holding out his hand. "Naruto's trying to talk Itachi into starting up the BBQ."

"We just ate," she said in exasperation. "How can he still be hungry?"

"It's Naruto," was all he responded with. It was all the answer she needed, really.

It took way too much convincing for her liking, but eventually, they talked Naruto down from starting the BBQ early, since he was the only one who was hungry (they pretended not to hear Kisame growling that he was, too). To keep him quiet, they gave him snacks and the task of running for ice creams. He didn't even complain that it was at least a good two miles back the way they'd come (or about the fact none of them really complained when the melting ice creams were brought to them, leaking all over his hands, making it obvious they were just trying to get rid of him for a while).

The sun felt great on her back as she turned around on her towel, arms crossing and acting as a pillow for her head. Being so pale was such a pain, as she had to top up on her sunscreen every so often to ensure she had maximum protection. Fortunately for her, she wasn't the only freakishly pale one of their group.

Since they were so far away from other beach-goers, Deidara didn't hesitate to turn the music up as he kicked back. She noticed him eyeing up whatever it was Sasori happened to be drawing, though he didn't show what his true reaction was to it. He kept that hidden, only offering a smirk that had Sasori sighing when their eyes met. Oh, was there some kind of tension between them?

"They have different views on art."

She turned her head to the right, raising an eyebrow as Itachi sat beside her on his own towel. Sasuke's towel was on her left, but he'd gone for a swim to try and cool down.

"I see," she murmured, too relaxed to bother looking back at the two men. Eyes shutting again, she smiled, telling Itachi, "I know I've already said it, but thanks again for last night, Itachi-san. I don't think I've ever had such an open conversation with Sasuke-kun."

Itachi leaned back on his elbows and despite her head telling her she was an idiot for doing so, she found herself checking him out and comparing his body to Sasuke's. While he was certainly taller and around the same build in terms of muscle, Sasuke's were more defined. Then again, her boyfriend was on so many different teams – it was rare for him _not_ to stay late after school for practice. Now that they had graduated from high school, he joined local teams for the summer to stay in shape. She supposed Itachi's body showed that he was more relaxed in his working out, though was still perfectly capable of breaking somebody should he find he had to.

Like his brother, he wore his trunks low on his hips and Sakura found herself peeking at the other guys, surprised to find they all wore their shorts like that. Was it simply the fashion? Surely they weren't secure like that? One slight jerk and the stupid things would fall down. What about when they went for a swim in the sea? Did they tighten them for that?

What a stupid thing to worry about, Sakura inwardly laughed and relaxed once more.

"Is it difficult for you to talk with my brother?"

"Sometimes," she replied truthfully, biting her bottom lip. "Sometimes he can be so closed off from everyone."

"But not last night."

Sakura smiled. "Not last night. I feel like we talked all night – about university and how it's going to affect our relationship, about how we felt about the inevitable and whether we could do anything to prevent it."

Unlike last night, he was so difficult to read, she noticed, lowering her sunglasses like that would help her read his expression. Feeling her gaze, Itachi turned his head to the side, running a hand through his bangs when they threatened to cover his eyes. Vaguely, she wondered if he knew he suited his hair brushed back.

"Are you worried?" he asked, dragging her out of her staring and Sakura felt her cheeks grow warm. Had she seriously just been staring at her boyfriend's older brother? "About how the possible distance will inevitably change the dynamics between you?"

"I'd be naïve if I said things wouldn't change," Sakura mumbled. Behind her, her legs came up, crossing at the ankles and she flexed her feet, smiling at the warmth. "But I feel like…" She sighed, shrugging. "I don't know. Is it childish to hope things don't change between us?"

Itachi was silent as he lowered himself fully onto the towel, arms folding behind his head after putting on his sunglasses. "Perhaps change would be for the best?"

"How?"

"You're both still young," he replied without missing a beat. "While I did not live the life of the average student, I know that I have changed from the person I was before leaving for university."

By saying they were young, Itachi meant they still had so much growing to do in terms of emotional maturity and whatever else accompanied it. She supposed he was right – well, not even supposed, because it was true. While comparing universities, Sakura had quickly come to the realisation that she would need to grow the hell up if she was to study abroad. She had to become more responsible and independent. There would be no parents to fall back on should she need help (although Sakura knew they would help in a heartbeat if they heard she was struggling), no relatives or close friends who lived close by. She would be alone out there until she made friends. It was one of the biggest cons to studying abroad: being alone.

Like Itachi, Sakura found it hard to believe she would live the life of the average student. She was too focused on her goals, too determined to ace every exam or assignment. Getting wasted every night and blowing all her money in the process just didn't sound appealing to her. Did that make her boring? Was she broken? Sakura compared herself to Ino, who was already living the wild lifestyle of a student. The blonde enjoyed getting so drunk that she was unable to walk without falling, using both any money she earned on top of her parents' money to do so. They felt awful about the divorce they'd, in Ino's words, thrown on her without any kind of warning, so they spoiled her a hundred times more than ever before.

"It could benefit your relationship, or it could cause problems," Itachi continued quietly with a sigh.

"That's the problem with getting into serious relationships when so young," she finished in a thoughtful mumble. "We're still growing as people."

"Precisely."

"Does it make me childish if I go with the saying 'love conquers all'?"

He smirked faintly. "I would say it fits with your character, Sakura-san. You have always been one to follow your heart."

How much could he remember about her? The thought was both terrifying and intriguing. While he'd certainly been around a lot in the beginning of her relationship with Sasuke (sometimes even chaperoning them on their dates, at the insistence of his mother), Sakura had never even considered the fact that he'd possibly watched her, learning of her character. But why wouldn't he? He would be looking out for his younger brother.

"Do you recall your first date with Sasuke?" he questioned suddenly.

Her cheeks burned at just the reminder. "We were really awkward."

The smirk returned. "I am sure it didn't help matters that Shisui and I were seated a few tables away from you both."

No, it hadn't. It'd made Sasuke uneasy and nervous, constantly looking over his shoulder to see if they were staring. That, in turn, worked to make her more anxious. "Definitely not," she replied with a chuckle. Thinking back on her first date had Sakura smiling wistfully. "We kind of learned to ignore you both, though."

"But it was clear to us that you both realised many things during that date."

"It was like seeing a new side to each other," she answered thoughtfully. "We weren't dating our friend we'd gotten to know in the past year or whatever."

Itachi nodded once and raised his sunglasses, catching her eye. "Do you see what I am trying to explain?"

Yes. "If one of us moves away for university, chances are, when we come back, it'll be like our first date all over again."

Something in her expression or voice had him frowning minutely. "Do not allow that to sway you from your choice of studying abroad, if that is what you wish, Sakura-san. I feel as though I learned many important lessons I would not have learned had I stayed here."

That may be true, but he didn't have a significant other to think about… or did he? Well, from what she knew, he didn't. Therefore, he couldn't possibly begin to understand the struggles she was facing. Distance, if they allowed it, could destroy a relationship. Already, Sakura wasn't sure how she would feel not seeing Sasuke every day like she'd grown used to. What would not seeing each other every day do? Would they grow apart?

"I wish Sasuke was given the same opportunities to study abroad," admitted Itachi quietly. "However, our father will hear none of it, despite how well I did. He believes it would be best for him to study in Konoha, where Father will have more power to control how and what and where Sasuke studies."

Yeah, that sounded exactly like Fugaku, she thought grumpily. Always doing what he _thought_ was best for his sons, but never actually taking into consideration how it would affect them in the long run. Couldn't he see he was creating a wedge between them and himself? They were going to end up resenting him for stripping away so many opportunities and choices.

"That's the difference between you and Sasuke-kun," Sakura stated, her heart feeling heavy. "He never goes against anything Fugaku-san says."

"That is because Sasuke has always struggled with gaining his attention and praise," Itachi replied. Then, he sighed again, lowering his sunglasses. "No matter how hard he pushes himself, it is never good enough. Although Sasuke received an almost perfect score on all exams, the fact that he wasn't perfect frustrates our father. To him, there was no reason for Sasuke to come second."

Wait. It was partially her fault? Sakura was startled as she thought back. Throughout high school, she and Sasuke were in all of the same classes, they were given access to unlimited learning tools and spaces, often even tutors, should they find themselves struggling. They were given the same opportunities. But because she scored higher than him – not even by much, either – Fugaku saw it as an issue? He saw his son coming second to her a problem?

"Do not take it offensively," Itachi added after a few moments of silence. "I, for one, am grateful that you were there to keep Sasuke grounded. Had he aced all his exams, he would have grown too arrogant. You gave him a goal, Sakura-san. You became his rival – or somebody to admire."

She didn't want to be his rival. Maybe she wouldn't have minded being admired by him, but certainly not his rival. As if their relationship wasn't unsteady enough without throwing _that_ sort of pressure on top of it.

"Is it wrong for me to feel bad?" she asked weakly, face burying itself inside the safety of her arms. "If I came second, he-"

"I believe Sasuke would have been offended if you allowed him to come first," he said seriously, cutting her off. "You came first because you deserved to, Sakura-san. Do not allow your feelings to put your own future in jeopardy. They only offer scholarships to those who come first, hence why many work so hard to be number one. It is to push people."

Yeah and the pressure was unfair. She hoped it changed, one day. Even if it only started out as the top five gaining scholarships. That could soon increase to top ten, then eventually top fifty. It would definitely make the goal seem more attainable for others. It would give hope to those who relied on a scholarship to go to university, since not everybody came from rich backgrounds. She had to work her ass off to be number one – without it, she doubted she would have been able to afford the degree. Finances only went so far. With the scholarship, pretty much everything other than living costs were totally covered.

"I guess," she mumbled.

There was another sigh. "Do you have any thoughts on where you would like to study?"

It seemed so wasteful – all those scholarships, she meant. If she chose one, nothing would come of the others. Why couldn't they go to other students? Say, for example, she chose to study in Konoha, why couldn't the other scholarships then be awarded to other students?

"I keep making pro and con lists to try and narrow it down, but all the universities seem really great." She sighed irritably and turned onto her back when it began to burn, adjusting her bikini to make sure nothing was on show. "Suna seems to have a really good apprenticeship that works alongside the degree, allowing me to work in a hospital to gain experience _and_ earn money. _But_." Again, she sighed. "Konoha has the benefits of seeing my family and friends. Then, there's Oto. Apparently, if I go there, I have a spot in their hospital guaranteed by the end of the degree."

"Though, that means staying out there."

She nodded. "And… I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment. What if I say yes to studying abroad, but then can barely even focus because of homesickness?"

He hummed in understanding and she met his eye, eyebrows knitting together at his faint smile. "I think you may be underestimating yourself, Sakura-san. How do you know that you won't thrive under the change of environment? Suna, for example, will give you life experience – you must learn to survive, as it is in the desert. It could benefit you should you ever choose a career path that would require you to have sharpened survival instincts."

"Like what?"

"Perhaps being a medic for the military?"

Oh, she'd never considered that path before. "I never thought of it that way before."

"That is because you are allowing your emotions to cloud your judgement," came his blunt response. Sitting up on his side, leaning on his elbow, he regarded her for a moment before looking out at the beach. Following his line of sight, she saw both Sasuke and Naruto making their way over to them. "While you may think of it as selfish, Sakura-san, putting yourself first every now and then isn't a crime."

No, she supposed it wasn't. But it didn't sit right with her. It made her feel uncomfortable. Before she could even think of a reply, Sasuke and Naruto were within earshot and she smiled widely, pushing her sunglasses onto the top of her head and sitting up.

"Did the swim cool you off, then?"

"No," Sasuke replied grumpily and collapsed onto his towel, glaring over at Naruto. "That idiot decided we needed to race."

To that, the blond laughed, spitting back, "You're the idiot who couldn't turn the challenge down."

"Like you'd let me."

Rolling her eyes, she glanced over at Itachi, then down to her phone, checking the time. There were a few notifications on her screen, but she ignored them, instead choosing to enjoy the day rather than stay glued to her phone.

"I think we've tortured Naruto and Kisame-san long enough," she said with a smile, one that widened at Itachi's knowing smirk. "I don't see the harm in starting the BBQ now, do you?"

"I suppose not."

How she heard his reply over Naruto's cheer, she wasn't sure. It didn't last long, however, as Sasuke tossed an empty shell that was resting nearby at his head, forcing him to duck out of the way.

* * *

"You have the angle all wrong," she heard Deidara mutter angrily, hand gesturing over at their group. "It's not _that_ curved."

"That's only because she has moved," came Sasori's quiet argument, his voice warning his friend to shut up. "If she turns a few inches to the right, you'll see what I saw."

But Deidara huffed with obvious annoyance, his blue eye narrowed as he glared between the sketchpad and, much to Sakura's horror, _her_. "You're exaggerating everything."

"I'm not. That is how she looked when the sun was higher."

Looking around the group and feeling thankful that the others weren't paying the two artists any attention, Sakura quickly went to the most rational of the group, tugging on his wrist and pulling him away from the others. He watched her in mild confusion, offering an apology to Kisame, who could only laugh at the sight of her dragging him away.

"Sakura-san?"

She ignored his surprise at her boldness, instead telling him urgently, "Sasuke-kun is seriously going to lose his temper with those two if he hears what they're saying."

Itachi frowned at her words, glancing over at Deidara and Sasori, who were now both hunched over the sketchpad, occasionally looking up and watching her just as critically. Instantly, it clicked in his mind and his expression emptied – it was a startling difference to how warm and kind he'd been with her so far that weekend. If looks could kill…

"I will deal with them. I'm sorry if they have made you uncomfortable at all."

She shook her head, telling him, "I just don't want Sasuke-kun to get angry or for this to ruin everyone's weekend when he eventually loses his temper. You know how he can be."

He nodded once, dark eyes narrowing warningly when the two men looked their way again. Deidara had the decency to bow his head somewhat, his single visible eye going wide with horror at being caught. Sasori, on the other hand, simply stared back with that uncaring, bored expression of his.

"Just make sure Sasuke-kun doesn't see whatever it is they're drawing," she said quietly, but then smiled brightly when the person she was discussing walked over with a frown. "Sasuke-kun, how about a swim?"

Her boyfriend looked between them unsurely, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," came Itachi's smooth response. "Sakura-san was merely asking my opinion on what to buy Mother for her birthday."

Dark eyes rolled. "That's not for a while yet, Sakura."

The words startled her and she couldn't help but look to Itachi in disbelief. "It's in three weeks, Sasuke-kun," she said, genuine panic setting into her tone at his laid back attitude. "What if I want to order something online? Some items take weeks to arrive."

"Then we'll go shopping next week."

"If you'll excuse me," Itachi said, hand discreetly pressing to her back as he stepped around them. "Sasori-san seems to want my attention."

The gentle gesture had Sakura smiling in thanks, because alongside the gentleness, Itachi was also telling her not to worry. He was reassuring her that he would deal with the issue without it going too far (meaning Sasuke's explosive involvement). While only a small part of her worried over what the two men were drawing, the majority of her worry was about how Sasuke would react to said drawing.

"You two seem to be getting on well."

She looked back to Sasuke, glad that his back was to the two artists. From over his shoulder she could see Itachi holding out his hand, shoulders going rigid when he was handed the sketchpad. It had her worry growing when he spared a fleeting glance over his shoulder at her, his hold on the sketchpad increasing in strength before he returned his cold gaze to the two men.

"We do?" she questioned unsurely, head tilting to the side. She wanted nothing more than to see the drawing now. It had to be bad to get that kind of reaction out of Itachi.

He nodded, a small smile pulling at his lips. "I'm glad you're getting on."

Of course he was, she thought with a smile. She and Itachi were two of his most important people – to have them hating each other would put him in a horrible place, but to have them becoming friends meant that he could breathe easy.

"We were reminiscing about how he and Shisui-san accompanied us on our first date," Sakura told him, enjoying the blush that swept across his cheeks and the tips of his ears. "It was a nice memory to think back on."

"Really?" he asked and took her hand, leading the way to the sea. "You don't think they ruined the evening?"

"We were thirteen, Sasuke-kun," she replied, laughing. It felt nice walking with him on the beach and she grinned as the waves rushed towards them, the natural temperature of the water allowing her to cool down without being too cold. "It would've been weird if we weren't chaperoned, don't you think? I mean, what if it was your daughter one day going on her first date?"

The idea seemed to be one he disliked greatly. "…I guess."

"Besides, it was nice to meet your family."

"You already knew them."

"Vaguely," she said and rolled her eyes. She was grateful to Sasuke for allowing her to adjust to the sea temperature before they waded in, allowing the waves to pull them out until they were up to her chest (and just below Sasuke's rib cage). "I saw Itachi-san around school every now and then. Plus, it doesn't count, because I met them as your friend. That night, I met them as your girlfriend."

Releasing Sasuke's hand, she grabbed his shoulder, legs stretching out and she smiled as he walked backwards, taking them deeper into the water. Soon enough, she had to kick about to continue floating.

"You weren't worried?"

She shook her head, arms wrapping around his shoulders and making him blush. When he wasn't the one initiating the contact, he always became flustered from public displays of affection. Having her so close, with their chests brushing together and noses almost touching, was possibly too much for him, especially in front of their friends.

"I was really happy," admitted Sakura, her smile gentle. "I know now that it probably didn't mean that, but at the time, I told myself I met them so early because you were serious about us."

There was a minute frown on his features and he pulled back, looking down at her. "I've always been serious."

"It's not in your nature not to be," she teased.

He grunted, though there was no mistaking his smirk. Gods, she loved it when he looked at her like that. "Is Naruto staying in Nagato's room tonight?"

Her stomach flipped both out of excitement and nervousness. It didn't take a genius to know what he was thinking about and honestly, she wanted it. But Sakura also wanted it to be special. She wanted to be one hundred percent sure. She tried to smile, but the nerves were too great. The fact that she had even the slightest doubt told her she wasn't ready for that stage in their relationship. Unless there were always going to be doubts?

"I-I think so."

The blush on his cheeks returned at full force, reaching his neck and chest. "I didn't mean for that," he exclaimed, for the first time in his life (as far as she was aware of) sounding panicked. "Unless you want to?"

Oh Gods, had she been the one to make things awkward? "I don't know," she said honestly, looking down at the lack of distance between them. Sasuke's feet were still touching the floor, the water reaching his collarbone. Slowly, unsurely, she wrapped her legs around his waist, quickly assessing his features in a silent question of: is this okay? "Maybe we could take things slowly?"

After all, they didn't have to have sex to pleasure each other, right? Saying that, it depended on how much they had to drink that night. Too much and she knew they would cave – knew she would cave on her wishes to make their first time special. They would say, "Well, five years is a long time to be together and not have sex, right?" And that would be that.

"I don't mind waiting," Sasuke murmured, his eyebrows knitting together as his eyes searched her features. As always, he could clearly pick up on her emotions even when she tried her hardest to hide them. "If you're more comfortable with that, I mean."

Any other guy his age would have lost their patience by now, Sakura told herself, smiling. Then again, Sasuke wasn't an ordinary guy. He was so different from the rest.

"I know it's important to you," he added and his blush deepened, eyes no longer able to stay connected with hers. When they eventually met again, however, she found herself breathless under the intensity of his gaze, her own blush heating up her cheeks. "Which makes it important to me, too."

Gods, she loved him. Without hesitation, she closed the distance between them, though only had control over the kiss for a handful of seconds before Sasuke took over, his hold on her a mixture of possessive and protective, telling her without words that she was safe with him. She didn't have to worry about that sort of pressure when it came to their relationship. It had her smiling, fingers tangling in the back of his hair.

* * *

"This is…" She was at a loss for words and after a few moments of being unable to find them, her green eyes glued to the sketchpad, she shook her head, glaring at the redhead angrily. "This is-"

"Art."

Deidara scoffed at that, muttering, "If you say so, yeah."

It was wrong to call it perverted, as there _was_ some form of purity to the portrait. The main focus was how the sun hit her eyes when she turned to look over her shoulder, offering a shy smile to Sasori. If she'd known he would use it as a pose for a drawing of his, she would have–

What? Stopped smiling at him? Stopped standing still and minding her own damn business?

"It's tasteful – kind of," she said, grimacing. "Damn it, I want to be so angry with you for this."

Sasori met her eyes without hesitation. "But?"

But he actually made her look good. But he kind of boosted her confidence. If that was how she looked in her bikini, then Sakura was ecstatic, because _damn_ she pulled it off. But surely some of the curves of her body were exaggerated? Her hips weren't _that_ much wider than her waist, were they? Her chest wasn't too bad – she was mainly facing forward, only turning somewhat to smile at him. It offered him a side view of her chest, though and she supposed he was kind of generous when it came to drawing them.

"You have every right to be angry, Sakura-san," Itachi muttered, his dark gaze refusing to leave Sasori for a moment.

"Why?" she questioned. "I chose to wear a bikini and show my body to everyone."

He frowned at that. "That may be so, but you did not ask to be drawn-"

"Look at it, Itachi-san," she said with a sigh, holding it up between them. "Sure, if Sasuke-kun was to look at this drawing, he'd be furious. But you're the rational one. Surely you can see that it's somewhat tasteful?"

There was obvious hesitancy as he glanced down at the sketchpad, sighing as it was pushed into his hands so that he could take a proper look. "The main focus is on how the sun hits you," he said after a few moments. "But either way, Sasori-san, you should have asked Sakura-san for permission before drawing her. Or you could have left out her body."

"Why?" he asked blandly. "Sakura-san seems to have gained a confidence boost from it."

Surprising them, Deidara nodded, coming to his defence. "She's holding herself more naturally." Itachi glanced down at her, making him roll his eyes. "Obviously not now that we're all staring at her, yeah."

Shifting uncomfortably under the weight of their stares, she took the sketchpad back out of Itachi's hands, sending a weak glare in the direction of the two artists. "You can keep this – on one condition."

"Oh?" Sasori questioned, his lidded brown eyes narrowing fractionally. "I wasn't aware you were the owner of the drawing."

"Maybe not, but this could get you into a lot of trouble, so shut up and listen. Understand?" She ignored Deidara's smirk and Sasori's glare, saying, "Keep this hidden. Only the four of us are allowed to know it exists." When he refused to agree, she tightened her hold on the sketchpad and lifted the page, giving a warning tug. "Don't think I'm below tearing it to shreds, Sasori-san. You're lucky I haven't taken offence to this."

"Lucky?" He stood up and brushed the sand from his trunks and hands. Towering over her the way he was, he certainly intimidated her and Sakura had to work hard on not breaking under his cold glare. "Do not push my patience, little girl."

Before she had the chance to reply, Itachi narrowed his eyes warningly, the muted anger and coldness coming from him adding to the intimidation she could feel. They weren't really fighting because of her, were they? Shit, what had she done? All she wanted was to make sure Sasuke didn't see the drawing – he'd lose his shit. At that moment in time, he and Naruto had gone to the store to get more food and some alcohol, while Nagato, Yahiko and Konan had gone to get supplies for a bonfire.

"Is that a threat, Sasori-san?" questioned Itachi softly. When only silence met him, he pushed for an answer, demanding in that same, quiet voice, "Are you threatening Sakura-san?"

"Careful, Uchiha," came his cold response.

"Anyone would think she was your woman, yeah," Deidara said, laughing uneasily. At the glower he gained from them both, he quickly held up his hands. "We get that she's your brother's girlfriend, yeah. Sorry if we caused any offence, Sakura."

Still, Itachi's dark eyes were angry as they returned to Sasori's, full of warning. "Accept her condition for keeping your drawing, Sasori-san." Brown eyes narrowed further. "Be grateful that she is allowing you to keep it."

"Grateful?" he muttered in demand. "Why should I be grateful to keep my own drawing?"

"Because my brother won't take too kindly to you focusing on her body in such great detail," Itachi replied darkly.

"He's got a point," said Deidara quietly, surprising Sakura by being brave enough to nudge the irritated artist. "Just accept it, man. There's nothing worse than a pissed off Uchiha."

No, there wasn't. And Sasori was about to have two of them if he didn't hurry the hell up and accept her wishes. Naruto and Sasuke would be back soon, having left a while ago and if he took too long, he wasn't only going to have Itachi and Sasuke angry with him. Naruto would be the first to throw punches. As he often said, "Nobody disrespected my Sakura-chan."

"Well, well, well," came another voice, honestly scaring the crap out of her when two large hands came down on her shoulders. As embarrassing as it was to admit, there was no stopping her squeal of fright, however, she _would_ forever deny nearly grabbing hold of Itachi. "Looks like everyone's got some of the classic Uchiha stick-up-the-ass attitude tonight, eh?"

Deidara tried his hardest to fight back the smirk.

The glaring contest between Itachi and Sasori continued.

Sighing, Kisame stepped between them and stretched, cracking his joints threateningly. Compared to him, they were like bugs. He dwarfed them all in height and muscle. "Oi, I'm having a pretty decent day – we all are. If you two girls can't behave yourselves, I'll be forced to intervene for the sake of this trip."

She had to admit: she was starting to like Kisame. He was scary enough to pull off cliché lines like those.

"Sasori-san."

"Fine," he stated and held out his hand for the sketchpad. "I will make sure nobody sees the drawing."

"Thank you," she told him gratefully. "I just don't want there to be any trouble-"

"As long as Sasuke-san is happy, the rest of us are," he muttered, cutting her off.

She flinched at the words, not expecting such coldness from him. "It's not that. I-"

"Then what is it?" he demanded, his glare still cold as he met her eyes. "It must be important if you are willing to go so far for him."

Asshole. Gods, she wished she had more of a backbone when it came to confronting people. Even with Itachi and Kisame standing between them, she was scared of Sasori and decided, in that moment, to always follow her boyfriend's warnings. He'd told her to stay away from the redhead. She should have listened to him. "I could have torn that drawing up the second I saw it," she snapped despite the trembling of her hands and the heat in her face. "But I respect that you're an artist and had no bad intentions, which is why I only ask that you keep it from Sasuke-kun. He won't be as understanding as I am."

While it wasn't by much, some of the anger left his eyes and he nodded once, taking the sketchpad. "Very well."

That was it? She opened her mouth, about to ask another question, but Itachi turned and silenced her with a minute shake of his head, one that was mirrored by Deidara while Sasori's back was to him. Sighing, she nodded in thanks. If that was all there was to it, then so be it. As long as she never saw that drawing again, she was happy.

Without another word spoken between them and the air still thick with tension, Itachi guided her back to their previous sunbathing spot, telling her once they were out of earshot, "I'm sorry, Sakura-san. Sasori-san is possessive of his artwork and doesn't take too kindly to being ordered around."

"No, don't apologise," she told him and turned. His expression was apologetic, eyes troubled as his eyebrows knitted together. "Honestly, Itachi-san. I really appreciate that you went against your friend to defend me. Thank you."

He smiled faintly, his features warmer. "Come, we will set up a space for the bonfire."

* * *

Leaning back into her boyfriend's chest, Sakura sighed with happiness. She would have shut her eyes and relaxed completely, but she didn't want to miss a single moment. The stars were out, twinkling high above them in the inky sky and the bonfire raged on proudly, lighting up their area.

Despite the confrontation earlier, Sasori showed no signs of bad blood between them, sipping away at his alcohol and adding to the conversation here and there. The others, from what she could tell, didn't pick up on the tension, either.

Strong arms flexed around her momentarily as Sasuke stretched, then they tightened their hold. At first, he'd been unsure about being so close in front of everyone else, but soon enough he relaxed, smiling down at her when she tilted her head back, happy that he was happy.

The bonfire they were sat around roared with its intensity, the trio never failing to impress as they returned with more than enough to get it burning. It wasn't so big that it would be impossible to put out and Sakura spotted several bonfires burning as she stared out at the beach.

She was on her fourth drink by the time the sky was near black, head swimming pleasantly with the buzz of alcohol. With night came the drop in temperature and she had pulled out her hooded jacket, though needn't have bothered once the bonfire was going, as it certainly warmed them up. Soon enough, she was removing said jacket again, enjoying the heat radiating from the fire.

"We should do this more often," said Konan. Like her and Sasuke, she was sat close to Yahiko, her amber eyes warm as they met his. "It's nice to get a break."

Behind them, the music continued though the volume was turned up. The radio station had started with party music, getting them all in the mood for dancing but as the night progressed, slower songs were played, helping them to wind down.

"I'd like that," Yahiko replied and he brought her closer, eyes shutting with happiness.

"Well, Itachi-san," Kisame said, drinking the remains from his bottle before tossing it into the bag with the rubbish. They'd already filled seven of them. "Are you glad you came now?"

She smiled when he glanced their way, his expression warm. She'd forgotten how much of a good friend he was to her, having brushed aside all memories when he left for university. Like he'd said: people grew. All she'd had to go on were Sasuke's stories (and sure, he was pretty arrogant), but it was becoming obvious that Itachi was just as kind as he'd been when they were younger.

"Yes," he replied, looking back to his friend.


	7. The More I Lock You Out

**Chapter 7**

**The More I Lock You Out**

* * *

"I'm kind of sad to be leaving," she said with a small laugh.

"So am I," Deidara replied and after making sure his hair wasn't in the way, he fixed his bag strap over his shoulder. "It was a good change, yeah."

Yeah, it was. And she hoped, more than anything, that going back to Konoha wouldn't take away the confidence she'd gained over the weekend. Sakura knew it would be non-existent around Fugaku, but hopefully it wouldn't around Sasuke. She liked calling him out on his bullshit, forcing him to listen to her. Honestly, Sakura believed they were closer for it. He'd even accepted the public displays of affection without much of a problem.

Last night, she had made sure to send everyone a friend request on her social media profile. That way, if they ever wanted to hang out, it was pretty easy to get hold of her. Did it make her seem desperate, though? Wanting to hang out with Itachi's friends because they were better than her own?

"Oi."

She faced the blond, asking, "Yeah?"

"Keep working on your confidence, yeah," he muttered, single blue eye focusing on the entrance to the hotel. At that moment, they were the only two outside, patiently waiting for the others to sign them out. It'd been way too hot inside and already, Sakura was dreading the long drive home. "And put him in his place when you need to."

How was she supposed to reply to that? Not knowing how to, she remained silent, merely nodding in agreement. The last thing she wanted was to have a disagreement with Deidara before they went their separate ways – she truly believed she made a friend. It'd be a shame to lose that friendship only days after making it.

The sight of Sasuke and Naruto leaving the hotel had her perking up, smiling at the sight of them both. Behind them, the rest of group exited, most of them appearing as hungover as she suspected them of being. Many of them had gone overboard the night before (mainly Yahiko, Naruto and Kisame), forgetting that they had to brave the five hour drive back to Konoha.

"We need to hang out more," Naruto told them all, raising his voice so that she and Deidara could hear him. Grinning when even Sasuke didn't disagree with him, he added, "This weekend's been crazy."

Grateful when her boyfriend unlocked his car, she spared no time in throwing her bags onto the back seat. Naruto was busy stretching his limbs like he was about to go into battle, having already claimed that he'd sleep most of the journey home. Yesterday, he'd been spared from a hangover, but it finally caught up with him due to last night's antics.

Much to her surprise, Konan approached her with a smile and held out her hand, offering Sakura a paper flower. She took a few moments to accept, in awe of the delicate creases and folds of the pink paper, the cherry blossom seeming like it took her a while to make it.

"Thank you, Konan-san," she told her, admiring its beauty with wide green eyes.

Konan's smiled warmed. "Take care of it," she said. "Unlike the real flower, this one lasts longer than a season, though only if you look after it. Ensure you do the same for yourself."

A gift with a meaning – her favourite kind. It was impossible holding back her smile. "I will," she promised her.

"You know the weekend was a success when Itachi-san admits he's enjoying himself," said Kisame from the driver's seat of his car. Already, his windows were all the way down, sweat beading on his blue temple. One day, she decided, she would question him about his tattoos. There had to be a reason why he had so many – and why were they all in shades of blue? "Same goes for his little brother."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Sasuke's predictable gruff response, smiling as he walked by her. When meeting her eye, she saw the smile in his eyes and it had her heart melting. His brother had a similar expression as he placed his bag into the back of Kisame's car, though paused when Naruto asked what the hell he was doing.

"We're probably gonna go straight to your place," he said and rubbed his stomach. "I can't wait to eat one of Mikoto-oba's breakfasts."

She slapped him upside the head. "Mikoto-san doesn't live to cater to you, Naruto."

"She said she doesn't mind," came his whine. Somehow he missed the annoyed glower sent his way by Sasuke. Outwardly, he always made a fuss of Naruto calling Mikoto his aunt, but she knew it didn't bother him really. According to Naruto's mother: he used to call her 'aunt' when he was a kid, too. "Please, Sakura-chan? Please?"

Smirking at the childish insistence, Itachi closed the door of Kisame's car, informing Naruto, "Our parents are currently away, Naruto-kun. They have taken advantage of having a free weekend together and won't be back until later tonight."

The responding howl of despair had Sakura groaning. "Naruto, get up off the floor," she hissed, face turning red with embarrassment when she noticed strangers shooting them suspicious stares. "People think we're murdering you."

"Let them," he muttered hopelessly into the ground, eyes dull. "Oba's gone. She's taken her cooking skills and left me, Sakura-chan."

For f–

Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she yanked him off the floor and nodded her thanks when Sasuke opened the door to his car, shutting it as soon as she shoved their blond idiot into the back seat.

"I guess that is our cue to part ways," said Nagato, barely containing his chuckles. There was no stopping them when Yahiko approached the window of Sasuke's car, cheerfully waving goodbye to a depressed Naruto who could only stare back, heartbroken. "We will try our best not to leave it too long."

Konan nodded in agreement. "Even if it is only once a month, we will arrange some kind of night out."

That sounded good, even though part of her disliked the thought of it only being one night a month. It was to be expected, she supposed. Itachi's friends all had jobs and commitments, whereas they were on summer break until university started in the fall. For all she knew, they could even have kids.

"I take it you're not coming with us."

She looked between the two brothers. Somehow, she'd forgotten about Naruto telling Itachi to join them in Sasuke's car – she only remembered when he made his way around Kisame's car. Joining him were Sasori and Deidara, the former of the two already seated and waiting to go. The blond was busy talking to Yahiko, reminding him to share the pictures of the weekend with him.

"Do you feel comfortable with the drive?" questioned Itachi, his eyes suddenly taking in Sasuke's haggard appearance. Concern briefly settled on his expression, gaze straying to his brother's car.

Shit, she hadn't thought about Sasuke's ability to drive after a weekend of drinking. It was his first time getting completely _wasted_ and he'd told her just that morning how horrific he felt, bringing up all the contents of his stomach along with anything he tried to eat. On the other hand, Itachi had been careful. He hadn't been half as bad as the rest of them. The same went for Nagato, who didn't hesitate to take the keys from Yahiko when he tried to get in the driver's seat.

Of course, however, her boyfriend's pride was way too big to disagree. "I-"

"I think you should take over," she blurted out, inwardly flinching at the glare of betrayal sent her way. "We can't even take turns in driving – I drank more than Sasuke-kun."

"Go with them, Itachi-san," Kisame called through the window, his sharp eyes also taking note of Sasuke's appearance. "I'd hate to hear that they all died in an accident that could've been avoided."

"I'm fine-"

"Sasuke." Already, Itachi had his bags, eyes narrowing on his brother in a way that silenced him long before he spoke up. "Sleep it off. Your pride is not more important than your lives."

Before he could fight with her on it, Sakura slipped into the front seat, ducking to hide from his annoyed glare while they busied themselves placing all bags in the back. She glanced onto the back seat, eyes rolling when she saw that Naruto had already passed out, his face pressed up against the window. At least her boyfriend would have something else to worry about, she thought hopefully. When he saw how much their friend was drooling on his window, he'd forget about how annoyed he was with her.

It took a few extra minutes of quiet, not-so-gentle persuasion, but soon enough, Itachi was sliding into the seat next to her, ignoring Sasuke's sigh of frustration when he began to move the seat back and adjust the mirrors. His annoyance regarding _that_, Sakura could understand. There was nothing worse than finding the perfect position for _everything_, only to have someone move everything when they took the wheel. However, it was a necessary evil, even if her boyfriend's selective OCD flared up massively, driving him insane. No doubt he would spend hours trying to perfect the angles again.

Once the engine was started, all windows were opened, Sasuke's eyes going comically wide when Naruto's drool was dragged all the way up his window, leaving a cringe-worthy smear that would be a bitch to clear.

"Breathe, Sasuke," Itachi said with a sigh. Catching sight of the others already leaving, he tipped his head to them. She didn't hesitate to lean out the window, waving goodbye. "You will give yourself an aneurysm one day."

"Easy for you to say," came his mutter and she could tell, from a single glare shot towards Naruto, that their best friend's life would be endangered should Sasuke be pushed any further. "He didn't even brush his teeth this morning or last night."

"How do you know that?"

"Because his toothbrush is still in our hotel bathroom."

And Naruto had been staying in Nagato's room. Sakura shuddered. It wasn't only that morning and last night, then. It was the entire freaking weekend.

Surprisingly, Itachi was unaffected, smoothly pulling out of the car park. Glancing down at her, he stated rather than asked, "Sasuke never lets anyone drive his car, does he?"

There was an indignant yell behind her that she tried extra hard to ignore. "Never."

He smirked, unknowingly making her stomach twist with excitement, similar to how the roller coasters had made her feel.

* * *

"I think he's actually fainted, Itachi-san."

"Leave him," he ordered quietly, finally easing up on the accelerator. "My brother must learn to stop taking everything so seriously."

"That's easy for you to say," she argued and once more checked on the two sleeping boys in the back seat. Naruto's head was half hanging out of the window, his hair beyond help thanks to the wind. Sasuke had shut his window only seconds into the drive, sunglasses covering his eyes to try and hide his growing panic and anger. "_I'm_ the one who's going to take the brunt of it when we get home – he'll say I should've agreed with him."

"And risk your lives?"

"Well, no, but-"

Sighing, she watched the older brother in contemplative silence, trying to find the best way to word her sentence without making it seem like her boyfriend was a bad person. During that time, Itachi spared her a single glance, his sunglasses hiding whatever expression was in his eyes. Unlike when Sasuke was driving, Itachi was relaxed with only one hand on the wheel, arm resting on the door comfortably and the wind was blowing through his hair. Only briefly did she worry about it obscuring the view – it was obvious from his casualness that he was in full control of the car.

Comforted by his confidence and following his example, she also relaxed in her seat, though continued to face him as she said, "Sasuke-kun's…" Gods, why was it so hard to find the right words? "He-"

"Needs to be in control," Itachi stated, not asked. "You cannot disagree with me on that."

No, she couldn't, but… He wasn't _always_ a control freak. The weekend they'd just shared proved that, right? "But he means well," she argued. "It's just been drilled into him to be a certain type of person."

Faintly, Itachi smirked, pausing in his response as he overtook several cars on the highway before returning to the first lane. "We have the same parents, Sakura-san."

"But maybe Sasuke-kun could never find the courage to stand up to your father."

_That_ took the smirk off his face. "How bad?"

"Bad enough for Mikoto-san to beg me to do all I can to get Sasuke-kun out of the box he keeps shoving him in."

He sighed at that and she could see the guilt in the brief twitch of muscles on his features, in the tightening of his grip on the steering wheel. "Shisui said it was uncomfortable, though failed to disclose many details."

"There was more pressure put on him when you left," she said, understanding he wanted those details now. "And Sasuke-kun didn't know how to balance everything. He was exhausted the first year, but I think he eventually learned to adjust." Maybe that was why he was so hot and cold when it came to Itachi? Sometimes he liked his older brother, sometimes he couldn't stand to be in his presence. "It was still hard – whenever we went out to anything business related, Sasuke-kun…" Grimacing, she checked behind her and was happy to find he was still sleeping. "It's kind of like a switch that he's forgotten how to switch off."

"I noticed," Itachi murmured and she saw his eyebrows knitting together. "This weekend was the first time since my return where he didn't act like a miniature version of our father."

It was why she was so happy about the time they'd spent together. For the first time in _years_, Sasuke opened up. He let them all in. He _enjoyed himself_. "He's learned to do whatever's expected of him," she continued, frowning. "Fugaku-san doesn't only praise him if he's done a good job – he spoils him."

There was a deep sigh from beside her, leading her to look his way again. "Sasuke has always worked hard to gain Father's praise and attention."

Yeah, and now that the attention was back on the older brother, he was feeling resentful. Sasuke was worried he was going to be shoved aside again. Itachi was home now – using Sasuke's own words, what use did Fugaku have for the second best? He was no longer necessary. But, to try and prove his father wrong, Sasuke continued to follow each and every order like a mindless soldier, doing whatever necessary to prove he was just as good as Itachi, if not better.

"You'd have to screw up massively to change Fugaku-san's mind," she muttered and rolled her eyes, feeling a slither of the annoyance and jealousy her boyfriend felt every day. "Even then, he'd still favour you."

Something about her words irked him. It was obvious he disliked them as he met her gaze with a frown of his own, asking, "Please don't say that, Sakura-san. I know you hurt for Sasuke, but you only know one side of a story made up of five perspectives – two sides, if you truly understand Sasuke like you believe you do."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? "I've been there more than you have these past few years," she snapped in disbelief, but as soon as the words left her mouth, Sakura wished she could take them back, her heart feeling like it stopped for a few moments in pure horror. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No," he said, voice cool. "You shouldn't have."

"I'm sorry-"

"You may believe you know all there is to know about my family, Sakura-san, but you could not be further from the truth." She winced at the lack of emotion in his tone, unable to bring herself to look in his direction. "The fact you have not run a mile already tells me that."

Finally, she looked back to him, features twisting with confusion. "What?"

But that was the moment Naruto decided to wake up, freaking out when his eyes opened to the sight of the road disappearing beneath him. At some point, his entire head had left the car and the sight had Sakura sighing. If she'd noticed, she would have pulled him back in, if only to save his mini heart attack as he accidentally began closing the window on himself, struggling to understand what was happening. Swiftly, Itachi came to his rescue, controlling the electric window from the front seat as he opened it again, allowing Naruto to pull himself back to safety.

"Shit, I-" He was red in the face, blue eyes wider than they've ever been. "I think I saw my life flash before my eyes, guys."

That wouldn't surprise her considering the fact he'd almost taken his own head off with the window. "Here," she mumbled, handing her drink to him. "You can finish it."

His hands were shaking when he took it from her, downing the water, only complaining when he'd finished half a litre of it. "Why the hell are you drinking water? It's so boring."

At least he was feeling better. "It's a hot day, Naruto," she explained patiently and leaned back in her seat, deciding a nap wouldn't be too bad. There was no chance of finishing that conversation with Itachi now and she was too much of a coward to sit beside him for another four hours while he was angry with her. "And I'm hungover. Why wouldn't I drink water?"

"It's boring," he repeated, elongating the words _just in case_ she didn't hear his reasoning the first time.

The next four hours were going to be hell, she decided with a mental whine.

* * *

"Sleep it off," Itachi ordered quietly. "Before Father returns."

He was so hungover, Sakura noticed. Sasuke didn't even have the energy to grab his bag from the car, or argue with his brother, _or_ fight Naruto when the blond stumbled after him, claiming he was going to pass out in one of the guest rooms before facing the wrath of his mother. She knew he was hoping to catch Mikoto at some point, however.

"Wait." Sasuke turned and gestured to her, saying, "I need to take Sakura home. She-"

"I will do it," he replied, cutting him off. "Rest, Sasuke."

Too tired to care, he nodded once, walking off. It stung, as she'd been expecting _some_ kind of goodbye. And what about her? His brother could murder her, for all he knew. Then again, Sasuke had slept more or less the entire five hours. He hadn't noticed the tension between her and his brother – if he had, he wouldn't have agreed. He would've told her to stay at his place for a few hours, until he'd rested enough to take her home. Right?

Hidden behind her sunglasses, Sakura silently pleaded with her eyes for him to return. Facing Itachi after shoving not only one foot, but both feet, in her mouth, was the last thing she wanted to do. Why the hell had she called him out like that?

"Relax," he said once he set off, then sighed. "I am not angry."

"Could've fooled me," she could only mumble. How dangerous would it be to jump out of the car? He was only doing twenty, so it shouldn't hurt too bad, right?

"I will admit: I didn't like what you said."

Didn't like?_ Didn't like?_ She'd say it went a bit deeper than _didn't like_. Shit, he could've solved global warming with how cold he'd become.

"However, I know you have a point. I wasn't there."

"It's fine," she told him, wanting nothing more than to end the conversation before it became more comfortable. She couldn't promise not to start eating her feet again. "Honestly, Itachi-san. I-"

"Please, Sakura-san." He caught her eye, expression genuine. "I am trying to apologise."

Oh. Then… "Okay."

A ghost of a smirk pulled at the corner of his lip, catching her attention and surprising her with how similar he was to Sasuke. They had the _same_ expression, but at the same time, they were nothing alike. Unlike when Sasuke pulled that face, there was no maliciousness coming from Itachi. It was something the younger brother did when he was going to be extra cruel and for a few brief moments, just in case, Sakura braced herself, because while Sasuke was never intentionally nasty towards her, she couldn't say the same for Itachi. Maybe she was about to see the personality Sasuke told her about? The cold, arrogant Itachi? Maybe he'd been luring her into a false sense of security by acting like the Itachi _before_ he left?

"Thank you," he said, smirk forming fully at how easy it was for her to agree to hearing out his apology. "Please forgive me for how rudely I acted towards you. It was inexcusable."

No, it wasn't. Not at all. "I shouldn't have said-" She sighed and looked down at her fidgeting hands. When they pulled up at a light, she felt him look her way. "I'm sorry, too."

"You were speaking the truth – words I must learn to face," came his easy admission. "I _did_ leave and in doing so, I left Sasuke alone to face our father and his overbearing ways."

"I think he's done well," she said, trying to smile.

He sighed at that, eyes returning to the road when the light changed to green. "I don't."

Really? Sakura couldn't help but silently question Itachi's sanity. Everyone always talked about how much of a genius he was, how he was a so-called _prodigy_. How could someone who was so smart, be so goddamn blind? Sasuke, for all his faults, had exceeded his father's expectations in many ways. He rose to the challenges thrown his way, never once showing his father any weakness. In front of him, he stayed strong. Everything that was said to him, every sly comment or comparison of how his beloved older brother would've done _so much better_, didn't have any effect on him until he was out of his father's sight. He didn't let Fugaku know how badly he got to him.

Her respect for her boyfriend had skyrocketed after being present for several of those berating _conversations_. He just took it. He didn't argue, didn't try to defend himself. Not _one flicker_ of what he was truly feeling would show when Fugaku tore into him. She could only recall two memories where the words had really hurt him, enough that he teared up and _raged_ so badly that Naruto had to restrain him – again, that was _after _Fugaku left. Every other time, Sasuke used those harsh words to push himself harder. To better himself.

"All he's trying to do," she began and was unable to stop the tremble in her voice, "is be a good son." Gods, she was getting so angry for Sasuke. More angry than she ever thought possible. Her heart was _aching_ for him because what the hell did Itachi know? He'd disappeared for years. Left him alone to face Fugaku's bullying. "His biggest fear is being a disappointment."

"Which is most important," he questioned, sparing her a single glance, eyebrow raising, "being a disappointment to one man, but simultaneously growing into a fine, respected man with integrity and the ability to show love to those you care for, or following orders blindly, never thinking for yourself and hurting those you love in the process by becoming the one person you secretly despise the most?"

Did he have a point? Definitely. She noticed many similarities between Fugaku and Sasuke. She noticed how cold her boyfriend was becoming and like Itachi said: it hurt the ones he loved. But was it as simple as he made it out to be? Hell no. Standing up to the man who could take everything away in an instant was terrifying for the strongest of men. Like Sasuke had said the other night: Itachi had financial aid to back him up. He went against his father's wishes knowing he had a backup plan. If Sasuke didn't rely on him so goddamn much, he could've done the same. He could've stopped letting Fugaku walk all over him years ago.

It was with an immense relief that she noticed the scenery changing, informing her they had left the wealthier side of Konoha. She couldn't wait to get out of the damned car and away from him, her anger growing by the minute for her boyfriend.

"Your loyalty is admirable," Itachi suddenly told her, pulling up at another set of lights. "However, you are blind to the reality of your situation, Sakura-san."

If he said one more goddamn word about her relationship–

"One day, you are going to have to face that reality." Would it be rude of her to turn the radio up? It'd be too childish, wouldn't it? "And I hope, for your sake more than anyone's, that you can walk away from it unscathed."

Anger got the best of her, all but exploding out of her as she spun in her seat, ripping her sunglasses off so he could _see_ how pissed off she was. "What the hell would _you_ know?" Unlike Naruto, however, he wasn't affected by her snarl. He didn't pale at the sight of her rage. Didn't tremble with fear while she shook with anger. "_You left him_," she yelled and out of the corner of her eye, she saw pedestrians turn quickly, watching their argument with palpable shock. "_You left him_ to face your bastard father _alone_. Sasuke-kun did everything he could to stay on his good side because Fugaku-san _never_ hesitated to tear into him and make him feel worthless."

Dark eyes were fixed on the traffic lights and she could see from the clenching of his jaw that Itachi was losing his patience with them. The second they turned green, he was off. "I-"

She silenced him without hesitating, her gaze daring him to argue with her. "I don't blame him for bending over backwards trying to please your father. That bastard bullies him every chance he gets – imagine pushing your son _so goddamn hard_ that he broke down the second he was away from him." _That_ got Itachi's attention, his eyes snapping to her face, demanding answers. "He couldn't even hold it in like he usually does. He _cried like a child_ in front of us. So don't you dare badmouth Sasuke-kun in front of me. Not when he's only trying his best for an easier life." It was quiet for a few moments, her anger making her breathless. Then, finally, she said, "Turn left here."

He did so without hesitation, following her next instructions of taking the third right, followed by turning left.

It was hard staying angry when she struggled against her seat belt and she reluctantly allowed Itachi to unbuckle her. While he was so close to her, she imagined _accidentally _hitting him over the head with her bag in preparation of getting out. "_Sorry, did that catch you? Oh, I'm so sorry. That couldn't have felt good." _Once the seat belt was off, she glared at him once more, ignoring the smirk on his lips as she yanked her bags out of the back. If it hadn't been Sasuke's beloved car, she would've slammed the doors, but she knew it was the fastest way of pissing him off. Instead, Sakura sent him a final glare, ignoring the sharp pain of her bag tugging on the ends of her hair as she spun.

"You're welcome," he called after her.

Her middle finger was his only response. She pretended not to hear his chuckling.

* * *

It was with excessive force that Sakura pressed the keys of her laptop, logging into her social media page.

Stupid Itachi. Every time they had some kind of deep conversation, he got under her skin. She couldn't recall him ever possessing that ability before he left for university, but then again, they'd never had heart to hearts back then. She'd been a kid to him – a silly girl who was dating his little brother.

"Idiot," she muttered.

There was still no word from Ino, Sakura noticed with a dull ache in her chest. Did the blonde even notice her silence? Probably not, she thought dryly, clicking through the pictures of her friend's latest night out. Somewhere in the past two weeks, she'd become friends with the people she'd always claimed were vermin: Ami, Kasumi, Fuki and Karin. For vermin, they looked awfully close – the sight filling her with a mixture of sadness and betrayal. After the first year of high school, Ino had sworn they were their enemies, always sending them her scariest glares whenever they so much as glanced their way. It was funny how quickly things changed.

Just as she felt herself really starting to feel low, her notifications suddenly blew up, making her eyes go wide as she clicked on the first. It took her to a collection of pictures taken over the weekend, the sight easing the aching of her heart as she recalled the happiness she'd felt. Deidara was the one who posted them, along with a title for the album which read, "Fine art is the beauty of that single fleeting moment."

How many had he taken? Green eyes widened as she counted over two hundred, many of which were taken without the group's knowledge. Clicking through them, Sakura found herself blushing out of embarrassment, disbelief and happiness. There were so many pictures of her and surprisingly, they were _good_. Any that were embarrassing were also hilarious and she couldn't find a single reason to hate them, even when she spotted the one of her and Sasuke taking their first shot, expressions twisted with disgust.

Sound burst through her speakers when she clicked on one of the videos and Sakura laughed at the mingled screaming of her and Naruto, eyes wide with awe when she watched herself leaping onto the crowd. In that moment, she looked wild. She looked confident. And even while nervous as hell, she held those notes pretty well, even if she did say so herself. The other videos were similar, showing their grand performances on the karaoke. There was even one of the bonfire the next night, taking in the sunset and the sight of them all relaxing, enjoying the view.

One picture in particular caught her attention and Sakura frowned minutely, pausing in clicking onto the next. It was of her and Itachi, with her laying on her back on the towel, sunglasses raised partially so that she could make direct eye contact with him. Itachi was leaning on one elbow, resting on his hip and looking down at her, eyebrow raised and lips pulling at the corner with that damned smirk of his.

In the picture, they looked close. Much closer than she'd originally realised and Sakura's frown deepened. To an outsider, it probably looked… No, surely not. Did it? She squinted, but then groaned with annoyance and sat back against the headboard of her bed, fingers tapping a restless rhythm against her laptop. They didn't look too close, did they? No. They couldn't have. Sasuke and Naruto had joined them not long afterwards and had it looked odd, they would have called them out on it – not that there was anything to call them out on. It just looked… odd. To her, at least. Was that weird? She was on her back, arms raised and due to the movement, her breasts seemed perkier, legs bent at the knees. Maybe she just wasn't used to seeing herself so… bare?

As well as those confusing thoughts, the picture brought forth a surge of guilt and with a sigh, Sakura reached for her phone, scrolling through her call log until she found the number Itachi had called her on. It was only after a few moments of hesitation that she decided to hell with it, calling him. It rang a handful of times before he answered.

"_Itachi speaking."_

"I want to apologise," she blurted out. There was no point wasting time with small talk. "For earlier."

"_Oh?"_ It sounded like there was a smile in his voice and she tightened her hold on the phone, unable to explain the feeling it provoked. Was it frustration? Annoyance? Gods, he was such a jerk. "_I thought I was the one in the wrong?"_

She scowled and sat up, placing her laptop on the bed. "If you thought that, why didn't you apologise first?"

He hummed thoughtfully and Sakura took a deep breath. It was definitely frustration. She should have left apologising until she'd completely calmed down. "_Arrogance? __Pride, perhaps?"_

"You-"

"_Did you call to shout at me again?"_

Another sigh. "No. I just wanted to apologise."

"_I see_," he murmured and she heard the sound of a page being turned. Was he reading while talking with her? He must have been, because she heard it shut, followed by his own sigh. "_I would also like to apologise."_

"Good," she said brightly, smiling. "I accept your apology." There was a moment of pause and Sakura frowned, asking quietly, "Itachi-san, have you seen the pictures Deidara-san posted?"

"_I am not online."_

Seriously? In a world controlled by the internet and having the latest gadgets? Groaning at the inconvenience, she asked, "Do you have an email at least? I can forward them to you."

Another pause. When he spoke next, she could hear the frown in his voice. "_Should I be worried?"_

"I-" Sakura cut herself off, sighing irritably. The picture was still enlarged on her screen and she was certain that the more she looked at it, the closer they seemed. In her eyes, he may as well have been on top of her. "I don't know. It's one of us and-" Again, she abruptly ended her sentence, scowling. "I don't know. We just look… really close, if you know what I mean."

Hearing the lilt in her voice had him letting out a soft, _"I see."_

"I'm probably overreacting," she said in a weak attempt to reassure him. "Maybe it's just because I'm in a bikini?"

"_Forward it."_

Without his email address, she could only forward the picture via text and she silently apologised to her poor father, since they weren't a part of her monthly plan. It wouldn't cost an absurd amount, he'd simply be grumpy that it went against his budget (which would, in turn, aggravate her mother, who was ridiculously strict when it came to it).

For a while, he didn't say anything and Sakura frowned, listening intently like she would be able to hear his physical reaction.

"…_Ah."_

"So I'm not the only one?" she questioned, heart beginning to pound. Shit, what would Sasuke think? "Do you see it, too?"

"_Yes,_" he murmured and it sounded as though he was standing. "_It's odd that we didn't realise how close we were."_

Her tossing and turning, constantly changing how she wanted to sunbathe was probably the cause of it, Sakura thought, biting her lip. Then he'd obviously rolled onto his side to speak more directly to her and just… Shit, it really didn't look good. From the angle the picture was taken, there wasn't even an inch between their bodies.

"It's not that it's a bad picture," Sakura said and her cheeks coloured, the sight of her exposed skin filling her with mixed emotions. While she looked good, she wasn't sure she liked that the thousands of friends on Deidara's account could see her. Already, the picture had likes in the double digits. Sure, it would be for Itachi too, because she couldn't deny he looked great too. Deidara definitely knew his angles. "I'm just… What's Sasuke-kun going to think?"

"_Nothing,"_ he assured her, voice soft. "_Remember: that is how we were talking when he approached us, Sakura-san. There is nothing suspicious about it as we're merely two friends talking."_

"Hm." Narrowing her eyes on the picture, Sakura rolled her bottom lip between her finger and thumb. The likes were stacking up, followed by many comments asking Deidara who she and Itachi were. Someone even asked if the Uchiha was a model. "How is this any different from Sasori-san's drawing?" she questioned, frowning. "We were so harsh, weren't we?"

Another sigh. "_The difference is that, to draw you, Sasori-san would have been watching you closely for an undetermined length of time. Not to mention the attention he gave your body, Sakura-san. It was inappropriate of him."_

"Yeah, I guess he was pretty generous when it came to that," she said, laughing. "At least Deidara-san's pictures have different angles-"

When she cut herself off suddenly, he called out, saying, _"Sakura-san? Is something wrong?"_

Green eyes were wide. She wasn't sure how to take the direction the comments were going in, her stomach flipping with a new kind of excitement. "N-Nothing," she mumbled, then spoke up, saying, "Uh, I think Deidara-san is pimping us out."

"_Excuse me?"_

"This is a direct quote from one of the comments: _'how much would they charge to take part in a photo shoot? I'm trying to make a portfolio and these two would be a great addition.'_ And that's followed by Deidara-san saying: '_I can talk to them. I'm sure I can negotiate a price.'_ What do you think?"

There was a long pause and quickly, Sakura checked her phone, making sure they hadn't been disconnected. They hadn't, shocking her as he realised _he_ was shocked.

Then, he admitted, "_I'm unsure how I feel."_

"Oh," she gasped, eyes going wide again. "I have a message from Deidara-san." Clicking on the notification, she skimmed the words, reading aloud to Itachi, "I know you've seen the comments on the picture. Can you do it? She's a good kid. Got a good eye, too."

"_Are you considering it?"_ he asked. "_Just a few moments ago you weren't thrilled about the picture."_

No, she hadn't been. But the thought of someone seeing _some_ kind of talent in her – enough beauty for her to _model_ was… It stroked her ego, her confidence getting kicked up a notch or two. "They'd probably change their mind, anyway," she said with a short laugh. "I'm way too short to model."

"_Deidara-san and those associated with him stand out for a reason, Sakura-san,"_ he said after a few moments, another frown in his voice. "_They won't care how tall you are."_

To hell with it. "I'm going to try it," she said, feeling brave for once. "It could be fun, right?" Before he could even reply, she was typing back to Deidara, asking him what the photo shoot would involve. "He said the photo shoot could be anything. It depends on what inspires her." Green eyes went back and forth across the chat, her fingers skimming the keys. Then, her heart sunk at his next response and she sighed. "She wants both of us."

It felt like it'd been a while since Itachi last spoke and it had her briefly feeling guilty, as she'd been so focused on the conversation with Deidara. "_Sakura-san…"_

"It's okay." She worked hard to keep the disappointment out of her voice, even going as far as to smile, despite the fact he couldn't see her. "It'd probably be awkward-"

"_You were uncomfortable with how others may view that picture of us,"_ he explained patiently, voice soft again. "_If this woman wishes for us both to model for her, there is no telling what she would ask of us."_

That was true. She hadn't thought about that. Grimacing, Sakura warred against the part of her screaming to be daring, to claw the confidence back in. Somebody thought she was pretty enough to model for them – her confidence was at an all time high, so much higher than it'd ever been in the past.

"I'll tell Deidara-san that-"

"_Tell him we will think it over,"_ Itachi interrupted, sighing. "_We can discuss it with Sasuke – we will need to speak with him regarding the original picture, anyway."_

Why did that fill her with dread? "He'll probably be against it-"

"_There is no harm in asking, Sakura-san_," he told her. "_Sasuke will understand if he sees how much it helps with your confidence."_ There was yet another pause, followed by, "_Remember: a relationship is not about ownership."_

She knew that. But… Well, he at least had a say in something like that, right? Sakura frowned and once more began chewing on her bottom lip. "Are you at home tomorrow?"

"_In the evening."_

"I'll drop by tomorrow and we can talk to him."

* * *

Why was she so nervous? She'd been at Sasuke's for over two hours already, sprawled out on the sofa of his gaming room, putting in minimum effort as she battled alongside her boyfriend on a game. From what she could tell: he hadn't seen the picture yet. If he had, he would've mentioned it – it wasn't in his nature to hide whatever angered him. Though, she supposed there _was_ the chance that it hadn't bothered him in the slightest.

The sound of voices had him pausing the battle, his pensive expression telling her to stay quiet. Until that moment, they'd been home alone – Mikoto had trusted them for a while now, often leaving with a smile whenever she had to run errands. She knew them both well enough to know they wouldn't do anything stupid and the trust had always warmed Sakura's heart.

Annoyed that he couldn't hear much, Sasuke tossed the controller onto the sofa beside her and stood from his seat on the floor. He'd been leaning back against the sofa, the back of his head brushing against her hip every so often. Silently, to not attract any attention, she rose to her knees, trying to hear whatever he was hearing.

There was a conversation going on – two men, she noticed – but their voices were muffled. Sasuke's gaming room was on the first floor, right at the top of the stairs (the only reason he was allowed to have it there was because it was the smallest room in the mansion, barely half the size of the ordinary bedrooms) and if she was guessing correctly, then those who were talking, were standing in the entrance.

Sparing a glance at her, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, indicating for her to remain silent and she nodded once. Then, as quietly as he could, he eased the door open, holding it still when it was only a few centimetres open. Being at the top of the stairs was risky, as whoever was in the entrance could simply look up and see them. Whoever was talking, was doing so in hushed tones, making it apparent they didn't want to be heard.

"Father," he mouthed to her, eyebrows knitting together.

Why would Fugaku be creeping around his own home? Who was he talking with? It definitely wasn't a woman, Sakura ruled out. The voice was deep, kind of rough and–

"Madara," came his mutter of disgust. He met her eye, frowning somewhat as he took in her appearance.

They didn't like his great uncle Madara. The guy was an asshole to say the least, always believing that he could _never_ be wrong. She'd only met him a handful of times and every time, he managed to anger or upset her in one way or another. Mikoto disliked him just as greatly, though always greeted him respectfully, holding herself tall as she stood beside Fugaku, remaining silent while they discussed business.

Then, there was a third voice and she found herself whispering in surprise, "Itachi-san?"

Sasuke pressed his finger to his lips, silently telling her to shut up. He leaned closer to the opening of the door, face full of concentration. Whenever Madara wanted to speak with Fugaku, the youngest son was always told to make himself scarce. His presence was unnecessary and would only get in their way, Madara often said. To have _Itachi_ involved in the conversation had to be killing her boyfriend, she thought, watching him closely. His shoulders were rigid, features setting into a hard mask of anger. In his eyes, he deserved to be involved – he'd been following his father's orders without question, showing him more respect than Itachi ever had in his entire life. He never disobeyed. Always put his family's responsibilities first. Went against his own beliefs, went out of his comfort zone.

Leaning forward, Sakura pressed her hand to his shoulder, frowning when he met her gaze. It took a few moments, but soon enough, his expression softened and he allowed her to keep her hand there, offering him silent comfort. No matter what he did, Sasuke could never reach Itachi's level and her heart went out for him. His older brother disobeyed not only their father, but Madara, too. Yet he was stood downstairs, involved in whatever the hell they were discussing and it pissed her the hell off. If Sasuke so much as looked at Madara the wrong way, the man lost his shit.

"I can't hear anything," he muttered under his breath, grip on the door handle increasing in strength.

"That is because our conversation does not involve you."

She winced when the door was pushed open, forcing Sasuke to step back, though much to her surprise, he didn't back down, remaining stood in the doorway even when Madara towered over him, his expression unreadable.

Like he always did, Madara looked down on her, his condescending gaze filling her with anger and an immense feeling of incompetence. Being in his presence never failed to send shivers down her spine. The man was much older than them, though only fifteen years or so older than his nephew, Fugaku. He didn't look his age, she'd always thought, his long hair healthy and still full of its original colour.

"Madara," Sasuke greeted him as respectfully as he could. He'd told her that, when he was younger, he'd once addressed him as his uncle, to which the man snapped that he hated the sentimental honorific.

The man grunted, dark eyes taking in the sight of the room before filling with disgust. "This is how you spend your time? Playing computer games and lounging around with this girl?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched, much like the fists behind his back. "With Itachi back, there's not much for me to do."

"How foolish," he muttered in response, gaze narrowing. "This is why Itachi is favoured – he has initiative. Instead of lazing around and waiting for orders, your older brother finds a way to make use of his time."

His fists tightened and Sakura bit her lip worriedly. His arms were tensing, shoulders going rigid. If he wasn't careful, Madara would notice it, if he hadn't already. At that moment, he was too busy meeting her eye, unconcerned with the fact she could clearly see the disgust he felt towards her. To him, she was no better than a sewer rat and it was because she was in a lower class than him. He never let her forget it.

"No greeting?" he questioned her suddenly and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sasuke refraining from glancing in her direction, his muscles tensing even further.

"I'm sorry," she said to avoid making the situation worse. Standing from the sofa, she lowered her head respectfully, saying, "It's nice to see you again, Madara-san."

The sickly sweet smile she gave to him when straightening up had his upper lip curling. Even though it'd been a few years since first meeting him, Sakura was still affected by the looks he gave her. How could he make someone feel so inadequate? So repulsive? And at the time of first meeting him, she'd been a kid. Yet he still made it clear she disgusted him.

"You-"

"Madara," came a new voice and in response to hearing him, Madara took a half step back, meeting Itachi's cold gaze without batting an eyelash. "While it seems you are enjoying yourself tormenting my younger brother and his girlfriend, Father would like to discuss a recent business proposal."

Once again, Madara grunted, though paused in his leaving, settling Sasuke with another glower. "You could learn a thing or two from your brother," he muttered with disdain, eyebrow raising at the tick of Sasuke's. "Though perhaps it is too late for you to grow a backbone."

"Madara," there was a warning to the way Itachi said his name and when Madara turned, she noticed the way he didn't falter in meeting his gaze. Not one muscle twitched as he stared the older man down. Unlike when he left for university, Itachi was now the same height as his great uncle. Despite that, he somehow managed to make it appear as though he was the taller of the two, _just barely_ keeping his gaze from becoming condescending.

Sakura breathed out a heavy sigh and all but collapsed onto the sofa when he disappeared from view, offering Itachi a small, grateful smile. He entered the room without pause, shutting the door behind himself.

"You will have to excuse our uncle, Sakura-san," he told her, also sighing. The cold exterior had been dropped completely and he nodded once to his brother, who sat beside her. "He is stuck in the past."

"I know," she groaned and rolled her eyes. Looking at her boyfriend, she frowned, but knew better than to ask if he was okay. He would be annoyed with her for drawing attention to his hurt. "I wish I could say that I'm used to it by now, but…"

"There is no getting used to Madara," was all he responded with.

There was a moment of pause, one where their gazes trailed to the screen of the paused game and Sakura wondered if Itachi was struggling to find the words to start the conversation, too. She certainly couldn't find a way to start it. Mentioning the picture and the opportunity to model for someone, when Sasuke was already in a bad mood thanks to his asshole uncle, seemed like a bad idea. However, she knew it had to happen. Putting it off was an even worse idea.

She hesitated in reaching for her phone, eyes meeting Itachi's questioningly, hopelessly. In the past day, the picture had tripled in its popularity – it wasn't the only one, but it was the one that caught her attention the most. Another picture of Konan had also raked in the likes and comments effortlessly, but she'd starred in many of Deidara's pictures over the past years, Sakura had noticed after stalking through his profile.

Sakura jumped and cursed when the phone suddenly began ringing, her ringtone obnoxiously loud, evoking an eye roll from her boyfriend and a flicker of surprise from his brother. It was the loudest one she could find with the added bonus of being her favourite song at the time… a year ago. She'd repeatedly brushed it off whenever somebody told her it was time to change it, saying she'd get round to it at some point. Was she wrong to not make it a number one priority?

"_Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted. Don't come searching when I go missing. Close your eyes or just try to look–"_

Trying to silence it became a battle and Sakura felt her cheeks grow red. "Sorry," came her embarrassed mumble. As soon as she saw the name on her screen, however, the embarrassment faded and she met Itachi's eyes, saying, "It's Deidara-san."

"Why's Deidara calling you?" demanded Sasuke. He had every right to be suspicious, glaring down at the phone like it had insulted him and his ancestors.

She declined the call, offering the blond a silent apology. Their conversation with Sasuke was more important, especially since she already knew what he wanted to discuss: the photo shoot. He was meeting with the woman and was going to arrange the shoot for them.

"Before I explain that, we need to tell you something."

"We? Who-" Dark eyes narrowed in confusion and he looked between them, demanding, "What?"

Much to her gratefulness (since he was definitely the more articulate of them both), Itachi was the one who replied, saying, "Deidara-san captured many pictures over the weekend. One picture happens to be of myself and Sakura-san while we were sunbathing."

Anger had his eyes going wide and he snarled, "Why the hell was he taking pictures of you in a bikini? I'll-"

She grabbed his hand, willing him to calm down. "He was taking pictures of everyone, Sasuke-kun. All weekend. There's some of you, some of Naruto – all of us. It's not like he targeted _me_ solely."

"But, still. You were only wearing-"

"I'm not upset," she assured him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to be, either."

It was only after watching him for several moments that Itachi next spoke up, telling him, "However, due to the way we were dressed, the picture holds a certain…"

He was lost for words? Sakura grimaced, also struggling. "It doesn't look good."

"Why?"

She sighed. "It's probably best to just show it to you. I can't explain why it doesn't look good, but if I tried, I'd say it might be because we're in swimming costumes."

Nodding, he accepted the phone that was handed to him, immediately going to her camera album to view the last saved picture. She found herself holding her breath as it filled the screen, green eyes glued to Sasuke's features as she tried to read what he truly felt about the picture, but he showed her nothing. He remained calm, composed.

And then, "What's wrong with it? You're talking to each other." He looked back to the screen, having glanced up at her. "If there was something to be concerned about, I would've said something – I joined you not long after this was taken."

Sakura found herself falling back against the sofa, laughing at how absurd she'd been. Going off what she knew about her boyfriend and how possessive he could be, she'd been _so damn sure_ that he would blow up after seeing the picture. It looked shady as hell, to her. It would've to Sasuke, too, had the guy not been his older brother. He wasn't concerned about it because he trusted them. He knew they would never hurt him. The realisation had her breathing out a shaky sigh of relief, smiling.

"_Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted. Don't come searching when I go missing–"_

"Deidara. Again." Sasuke turned his gaze on her, his hold on the phone unyielding as it continued to ring.

"_Close your eyes or just try to look away. Don't want to hurt you!"_

"That's something else we have to talk about," Sakura told him. She eyed the vibrating phone, trying to tune out her ringtone. However, it was chosen for a reason (other than it being an amazing cover of a song she loved). It was loud, demanding. It had her attention as soon as the music started.

"_We live in a world someone else imagined. The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished."_

She held out her hand but when it wasn't handed over, Itachi told him, "Decline the call if you have no intention of answering it, Sasuke."

"_Remember my heart, how bright I used to shine–"_

Finally, the call ended, though it wasn't because of Sasuke declining the call.

"Why is Deidara calling you?"

So the picture of her and Itachi lounging around (with hardly any space between them) half naked didn't bother him, but somebody _calling_ her did? "That's what I'm trying to talk to you about."

"Then spit it out already-"

"Do not raise your voice at her, Sasuke," came Itachi's warning, his expression just as cold. "Sakura-san is trying to tell you that she has been given an opportunity, one that could open more doors for her."

When her boyfriend looked back to her, waiting for her to explain herself, she found herself struggling to find the words, like her throat was being squeezed tight, choking the life out of her. She tried to talk over whatever was suddenly strangling her, mouth opening, but nothing happened. No words would come. The sight of her anxiety had Itachi momentarily glaring at his brother, but Sasuke didn't see it, his eyes focusing entirely on her.

"We have been asked to participate in the building of Deidara-san's friend's portfolio." When Sasuke looked to him questioningly, asking him to expand on what that meant, Itachi added, "I don't have all the details as of yet, but-"

"Wait, _we?"_ Sasuke suddenly repeated, cutting his brother off. He focused on the phone again, opening the picture. "So, someone saw this picture and decided they wanted you both in-" His sentence ended abruptly, expression almost a grimace. "They want you to model for them?"

"Essentially."

"How does that work?" he questioned. "You're just talking – it's not like you posed for it."

"You would have to ask her that question yourself."

"_Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted–"_

Sasuke declined the call, muttering about how she needed to change her ringtone. _Put it on silent if it's bothering you_, she thought grumpily. She'd been so excited about the potential photo shoot, her confidence gaining a bigger boost than it ever had before. Now, she was questioning whether she could truly go through with something like that. What if the woman met them and realised she wasn't all that good looking? What if it was merely the angle of the picture? Or was there a filter on it? What if–

"What kind of modelling would it be?" came his quiet question as he once more assessed the picture. "Does she want you half naked? Why does she want you both? Does she think…?"

"We're not sure," answered Itachi and she could feel his gaze on her, probably wondering why the hell she couldn't speak. Honestly, Sakura wished she knew the answer to that question. "Sakura-san thought it best to inform you before we so much as entertained the thought of accepting."

They were both watching her now, waiting for her to explain herself, but she couldn't. Gods, what had she been thinking? Modelling? Like she was really cut out for that. Models were supposed to be elegant with legs that stretched for miles. They were supposed to have perfectly shaped eyebrows and high cheekbones and flat stomachs and–

"_Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted. Don't come searching–"_

"They'll do it."

Finally, she found the ability to meet Sasuke's eye, her mouth parting in surprise when she found him holding her phone to his ear.

"It doesn't matter why I answered," he replied arrogantly after a short pause. Another pause, then he asked her, "Can you speak to the photographer now?"

Her mouth opened and she found herself forcing out over the lump in her throat, "Y-Yeah."

It took more strength than it should have to accept the phone from Sasuke, her eyes meeting Itachi's briefly before dropping. Instead of pressing it to her ear, she pressed the loudspeaker option, willing herself to breathe. It was just a phone call. It was just her friend.

"Deidara-san?" she called, holding the phone in the air. There was muffled noises in the background, followed by what sounded like him telling someone to calm down. "You're on speakerphone – Sasuke-kun and Itachi-san are here."

"_I've been trying to get hold of you for the past fifteen minutes,"_ he muttered and Sakura felt her cheeks colour at the annoyance in his tone. Gods, why was she sweating? Why was she nervous? "_Do you know how annoying Kurotsuchi can be, yeah?"_

No, she didn't. She didn't know anything about her other than the fact they were the same gender. "I'm sorry," she told him earnestly, fidgeting with her phone while speaking. "I wanted to explain to – it doesn't matter. I'm sorry."

"_It's fine,"_ sighed Deidara, more than likely sensing her distress. "_Just know that it's me who has to deal with her, yeah."_

"_Oi-"_

"_I'm going to hand the phone over to her,"_ he told her suddenly and there was the sound of scuffling in the background. "_Oi, just hurry up and take it, yeah-"_

"_Hello?" _spoke the woman, sounding breathless. Had they been fighting over it? "_Hi, my name's Kurotsuchi – I'm the one who flooded the comments of your picture."_

Damn it, she couldn't fight through her nerves, especially not with Sasuke watching her so closely. "I'm Sakura," she greeted. It felt odd introducing herself so offhandedly, but she thought copying Kurotsuchi's example would be better. Deciding to just jump straight to it to try and shove aside her shyness, she told her, "Both Itachi-san and I have decided we'd like to be involved with your portfolio."

"_That's great,"_ Kurotsuchi exclaimed and Sakura found herself relaxing somewhat, smiling. "_While the pay won't be anything that can support you, I _can_ afford to give you a small payment for your time and hard work."_

That was a hell of a lot more than she'd originally thought they'd be getting and Sakura could tell Itachi hadn't been expecting any payment, either. They weren't experienced in modelling – either of them. But with it being a _paid job_… Sakura knew without even thinking about it that it was going on her resume. It had nothing to do with her future profession, but still. It was nice to throw things up on her resume, right? Retail sales assistant. Part-time model. Full time doctor.

"_Oh! And you get to keep the outfits, too. Since they're tailored to your size-"_

Oh, she was one hundred percent in. There was nothing more to consider. And Sasuke knew exactly what she was thinking, as he rolled his eyes, head shaking faintly.

Seemingly noticing this, Itachi spoke up, telling the woman, "We have two conditions and they are not up for debate."

"_Sure,_" Kurotsuchi said excitedly, clearly ready to agree to anything. "_Name them."_

"They have to be tasteful," said Sakura after calming herself down. "No nudity or objectifying."

"_No, definitely not,"_ she exclaimed and for a moment, Sakura felt bad, as she sounded almost offended. "_I have so many ideas, Sakura-san and let me assure you, none of them involve anything that could be deemed as overly sexual-"_

"_Overly_ sexual?" questioned Sasuke and she saw a muscle in his jaw clench. "What does that mean?"

When she spoke next, the woman sounded unsure, somewhat distracted and Sakura wondered if she was questioning Deidara what was happening or what Sasuke's involvement was. "_Uh… Well, you see… Itachi-san and Sakura-san's interactions in Deidara-nii's photographs were simple – no, not simple. Uh. They were… relaxed and easy. I'm sorry, does that even make any sense?"_

There was a sigh, followed by Deidara saying in the background, "_What she means is that you have a connection that she wants to capture and take advantage of, yeah."_

"What connection?"

She eyed her boyfriend warily. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea, then. I-"

"No," Sasuke cut her off, frowning in her direction. "If it's something you want to try, do it. I'd rather you try it with Itachi than someone I can't trust." She smiled at that and shuffled closer, taking his hand in hers. "What will the photo shoot involve?"

"_Like I said, I have loads of ideas_," she repeated. "_But since my main focus is being a wedding photographer, I want the majority of the portfolio to be about that."_

They had to pretend…? Shaking her head, Sakura bit her lip, trying to smother the excitement building within her. A wedding photo shoot meant she would get to dress up – keeping the clothes afterwards. She would have her makeup and hair done and… Gods, it was going to look amazing. She would look amazing. She wasn't sure what the hell she'd do with a freaking wedding dress afterwards, but who cared?

"_To try and appeal to all different kinds of people, I need to get different kinds of settings. I want gothic. Passionate. Vintage. Simple. Fairy tale,"_ she gushed and Sakura wondered if the woman was smiling as brightly as she wanted to. "_But, of course, I want to make myself available for all kinds of jobs. Itachi-san and Sakura-san are two of many people helping with my portfolio, so if there's anything you're not comfortable with, we can discuss it and I can ask one of the others to do it."_

That seemed to ease Sasuke's discomfort somewhat, though Sakura had to admit her mind was more on the pretty dresses she was going to be wearing. "When do you need us?" she asked.

"_Deidara-nii tells me you're both busy people," _said Kurotsuchi thoughtfully. "_And I appreciate you both have jobs. So, we can either decide on a couple of weekends in the next month or two and dedicate the entire time on getting this done – that's different locations, quite a few outfit, makeup and hair changes. _Or_," she continued, seeming more fond of the first idea as she told them, "We can arrange to meet on your mutual days off, though I have to admit: that does mean it drags the process out."_

Wow. She hadn't thought there would be _that_ much work. She understood that Kurotsuchi had plenty of ideas and inspirations, but… Well, it was her summer. The last summer before she possibly moved away for university. It was already a struggle making plans with her friends due to her hours being increased at the clothing store, what would happen if she dedicated entire weekends to the photo shoots?

"We will have to discuss which is best for us both," Itachi explained and he offered Sakura a faint smile when she looked to him unsurely. Did he understand the struggle of trying to balance everything?

She looked to her boyfriend, unable to ignore the pang in her chest at the way he looked away from them both, staring off to the side. Going away for weekends at a time, with another man (it didn't matter that Itachi was his brother, it was still weird) and taking part in _wedding_ photo shoots was bound to make him feel insecure. If it was the other way around, her insecurities would overwhelm her. They would make it impossible to even go about her day without constantly questioning what was happening. They'd spent more or less every day of the past five years _together_. His parents, without even asking him sometimes, invited her on their family vacations, with Mikoto stating that they would hate to keep them separated for weeks, possibly even a month, at a time.

"_That's fine,"_ Kurotsuchi replied easily. "_I'll have Deidara-nii set up a meeting in person and we can go into further detail about my vision – you can see the settings I've chosen, the themes and outfits. Things like that."_

"Thank you," he said.

"Thank you," Sakura quickly spoke up.

"_No, thank you,"_ came her cheery response. "_Bye!"_

Without waiting for their response, the line went dead and she found herself sighing, leaning back into the sofa. There was so much they had to consider – the list of cons just as great as the pros. Impulsively, she wanted to say yes, yes, _yes_. But she had to take the others into account, too. What was a great deal for her, could be the absolute worst for Itachi and what was great for them both, could be a nightmare for her boyfriend. The decision didn't only affect her.

Her gaze met her boyfriend's and Sakura felt her heart sink at the expression on his face. He seemed almost lost for that split second, like he was unsure of himself and their situation. While being so upset by what could potentially be an amazing opportunity seemed dramatic, she understood why he felt that way – like she'd said, if it'd been the other way, she'd have issues with it, too. Brother or not, she was going away for weekends at a time with him, taking part in photo shoots _pretending_ to be getting married. It was bound to rub him the wrong way.

"It'll be good for you in the long run," Sasuke said suddenly. Despite the resolution behind his words, however, she could see in his eyes that he was torn. He wanted the best for her, but it hurt him. "We need to get used to the separation, anyway."

Did they? She hadn't made her mind up yet. Studying in her hometown had so many advantages – the main one being security. If something happened, she had her family and friends. She had people she _knew_ she could rely on.

"Think it over carefully, Sakura-san," Itachi ordered, voice quiet. He didn't seem overly concerned or opposed to the photo shoots, but at the same time, he didn't seem that fond of the idea, either. Or did he? She couldn't tell and it irked her, especially considering she'd assumed just the other day that he was easy to read. "We don't have to make a decision overnight."

He had a point, she supposed. Again, she sighed. Previously, she'd thought it would be nothing more than a day of having someone taking pictures of her. But the project was so much bigger than that and it had her wondering if she was up to the task. Her job, for starters, couldn't exactly be put on hold and she could hardly call in sick on random weekends. She had alternate weekends off, but what about her friends or Sasuke–

Wait, she had already graduated from school. Hope flared in her chest. Would it be possible?

Making his way to the door, Itachi paused, telling them, "Madara shouldn't be here for much longer, though I would recommend staying out of his way." She nodded her understanding, hoping she wouldn't have another run in with the old fart. He was a horrible person. "Inform me when you are ready to talk, Sakura-san."

Once he shut the door behind himself, Sasuke asked, "Are you staying tonight?"

She frowned at her boyfriend. "Are you sure your dad is okay with that?"

Mikoto didn't mind if she stayed over every now and then, even going as far as to fill the spare bedroom with brand new necessities (in case it was decided last minute that she would sleep over, meaning no clean clothes or pyjamas, etc). On the other hand, there was Fugaku, who was grumpy as hell at the best of times and with Madara's visit… While he usually tolerated her presence, she wasn't sure it was the best time. He would be stressed to say the least.

"Stay," he pushed. "I…" Momentarily, he struggled to speak, his cheeks growing red even in the dim lighting. "I enjoyed our time at the hotel."

Sakura smiled at that, recalling the memories fondly. They'd stayed up most of the night, talking about everything and nothing, getting everything off their chests. Making out with her boyfriend had been great, too. But she knew that, in his home, it wouldn't be the same. Despite joining them on family vacations and often staying over, it was always in separate bedrooms and half the time, when they were alone together in an upstairs room, they had to leave the door open. The only reason they didn't have to in the gaming room was because of how loud the television or their competitiveness could get.

But seeing the silent plea in his eyes, seeing his heart on his sleeve, Sakura found herself caving anyway, nodding her agreement.


	8. And I'll Always Be Here

**Chapter 8**

**And I'll Always Be Here**

* * *

"Thank you for the food, Mikoto-san," Sakura said with a smile. "It was delicious."

Her smile was faint, the atmosphere bearing down on them. Having returned an hour after Madara had left, she'd instantly picked up on her husband's dark mood and sought them out, asking what had happened. All Sasuke muttered was his uncle's name before she worriedly left the room, telling them almost distractedly that supper would be ready within the hour.

Supper itself was awkward. Occasionally, when Sakura was feeling brave, she would lift her eyes from her meal and try to fill the uncomfortable silence. Mikoto's responses were strained, her gaze darting to Fugaku's rigid muscles and clenched jaw. Sasuke tried to remain silent, telling her with his eyes alone to do the same. Then, there was Itachi. While he'd been like herself, choosing to be quiet, he replied with ease when she spoke up.

She'd been around the family long enough to witness several of Fugaku's bad moods. Nearly all of them were brought on by a meeting with Madara and she knew to make herself scarce afterwards, even if it was cowardly of her to do so. However, her boyfriend needed her support – had asked for it, in his own roundabout way. Like hell she was going to let him down.

"Out with it, Sasuke."

Damn it, she didn't mean to flinch. The flat tone of Fugaku's voice, the way he seemingly reluctantly looked at his youngest son, made it impossible to hold back. If he could treat his own child so uncaringly, how would he treat her if she crossed him during one of his moods? The atmosphere was too much for her – she was used to easy chatter and laughter during meals.

"Can Sakura stay?" he asked, meeting his father's gaze unfalteringly.

The brave move had Itachi glancing up from his seconds, watching from the corner of his eye as he chewed slowly. Then, he looked to her. She could see the questions going through his mind, more than likely wondering when and how they had earned enough of his parents' trust to allow her to spend the night. Of course, he'd been gone for years. Before they allowed her to stay over, she and Sasuke had been forced to sit through a solid hour of rules they had to abide by. Said rules were revised every year they were together, being tweaked once they earned trust and matured.

Those inquisitive eyes left hers when his mother paused in re-entering the dining room, her features pleading with Sasuke to not push his luck. That expression soon shifted to indifference when Fugaku's attention was on her.

"I don't care what you do," he said with a cold air of indifference, standing from his seat. "As long as you remember you are not to share a bedroom and don't bother me further."

She winced at the rough opening of the door, green eyes darting to Mikoto's apologetically. The older woman was too busy staring after her husband before looking to Sasuke, sadness evident on her features as she saw what Sakura always saw: how badly Fugaku's indifference hurt him. All the while, Itachi silently continued his supper and she was so tempted to demand how he could be so goddamn peaceful and calm when everyone else was tiptoeing around his father.

"Sakura." Sasuke stood up, refusing to look at his brother and mother as he held her gaze. "Let's go."

And not help Mikoto with the dishes? "But-"

"Now."

"It's fine, Sakura-chan," she told her. "Go with Sasuke."

That relaxed expression on Itachi's face faltered when he glanced his mother's way, something about their interaction leading him to look at her with barely concealed agitation, silently demanding answers from her. Sakura couldn't bring herself to stick around to find out more, instead merely nodding in acceptance, briefly meeting Itachi's eye before following Sasuke as he walked out the room.

"_Itachi, please don't-"_

She looked over her shoulder, frowning when she saw him shutting the door, not allowing them to overhear their conversation. It had her debating whether she should stay with the pair, but Sakura decided at the last moment that she was being ridiculous. Itachi had clearly felt guilty for merely showing his upset at her words yesterday – he wasn't the type to harm another, let alone his own mother.

Her boyfriend was unsettlingly quiet when they returned to the gaming room and she found herself glancing around the room, trying to find some way to take his mind off how foul his father had been towards him. Every time, without fail, Fugaku's negativity rubbed off on Sasuke and he, in turn, would be in an awful mood, too. There was rarely anything she could do to cheer him up. Usually, the best thing to do was to give him time to himself, but this time was different. This time, he asked her to stay. Inwardly, she felt hopeful and felt her heart skip a beat in response.

She smiled at him when he shut the door – the only door they were allowed to shut in the mansion, since the video games were almost as loud as their competitive natures. The smile wasn't returned, but she hadn't expected it to be. Not after Fugaku's harsh words.

"Should we play a game?" His eyebrows knitted together, his silence questioning and in response, Sakura once more smiled, gesturing to the games console. "Same as before?"

Realisation took over when he followed the direction she was pointing in and she noticed there was a faint uncertainty there too, dark eyes seeming distant while he contemplated something. What was so hard about it, though? It'd been a long while since she felt so awkwardly out of place around Sasuke, but in that moment, she was unsure how to handle the situation and what to do with herself. Did she start a game anyway? Wait for him to make the decision? Did she go home and give him time like he usually needed? Gods, what was she supposed to do?

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

Hiding her uncertainty was impossible as Sakura shifted in her stance, her eyes dropping to the ground. "What do you want me to do?" No answer. "I can go home. It's not that late-"

She was cut off by the hand under her chin, tipping her head back gently and it was impossible to continue speaking when their eyes met. Still quiet, still so hard to read, Sasuke merely watched her for a few moments, those dark eyes never failing to stir up that giddy feeling within her, the one that made her feel as though they were falling in love all over again.

When Sasuke kissed her, she couldn't think straight. They could have been in the middle of the most volatile arguments, she could've been an absolute wreck, the world itself could be ending, and his kiss would still make her forget about it all. Holding onto negativity, reminding herself that she had to be strong and stick to her guns, was impossible. Simply put: she couldn't stay mad at him, or upset.

This time, it was different.

Unable to figure out _why_ it didn't feel the same, Sakura shut her eyes and tried to relax into him, but when she found herself being guided backwards, bumping into the sofa, the tension in her muscles returned. Green eyes flew open, looking up at her boyfriend unsurely because above all else, Sasuke never broke the rules. It didn't matter what kind of rules they were, or how petty he believed them to be. If something was ordered of him, he would do it. So, why was he currently breaking a rule set not only by his father, but his mother, too? Why didn't he hesitate for even the briefest of moments while coaxing her onto the sofa, caging her in? The rule was simple: no inappropriate behaviour. They were violating his parents' trust horrifically – the only door in the house they could close behind them and they were taking advantage of that.

None of it felt right. The kiss, the way he daringly reached down towards the hem of her shirt, fingers briefly skimming beneath the fabric – wrong. It was all so, so wrong.

"No, Sasuke-kun. We-"

He silenced her with another insistent kiss, hand returning to her cheek to keep their faces together, making it harder to pull away. It was such an odd sensation, Sakura noticed numbly. Usually, she loved it when Sasuke kissed her passionately. She loved when he paid her attention. So why did she feel so uneasy? A kiss that previously caused her to melt against Sasuke, desperate to feel more of him, currently had her squirming in her place. She couldn't enjoy it.

"Sasuke-kun-"

"We're not doing anything wrong," he murmured against her lips.

She couldn't break the trust she'd earned, but how was she supposed to say no to her boyfriend without seeming like she was rejecting him? Sasuke had never been so insistent before, so… _so pushy_. What if saying no resulted in him never wanting to make the first move? What if it caused him anxiety somewhere down the line? What if she made him think the same way as herself, wondering why he didn't want her or if something was wrong with her?

Still… "The rules-"

"The rules say we can't share a bedroom," Sasuke said and her breath caught in her throat when his knee squeezed between her thighs, parting them. "Technically, this isn't a bedroom."

They also said that they weren't to act inappropriately. If anything _was_ to happen, then they had to be smart and safe. She sure as hell wasn't taking any form of contraception and she would be suspicious if Sasuke suddenly carried condoms with him. Due to the nature of their relationship and how traditional his family was, they had no need for contraception.

Her inner conflict showed in the way her fingers tangled in his shirt to bring him closer, in the way she simultaneously pushed against him. Was her heavy breathing from his ministrations as he grabbed at her body, squeezing appreciatively, or something more?

_Why didn't she enjoy it?_

_Why couldn't she say no?_

Gaze darting to the door, Sakura mentally begged of someone to walk in – no, not just someone. Itachi. She wanted Itachi to use his weird sixth sense thing and walk in on them, which would stop anything more from happening. If his parents caught them, then they could kiss all the trust they'd earned over the years, goodbye. But Itachi was a different story. Yes, he had authority but he was also rational and understanding.

_Walk in_, she pleaded. _Walk in. Walk in. Walk in. Walk in. Please, Itachi. Walk in._

"Relax," he whispered and she shivered at the feeling of his teeth grazing her earlobe. "They won't expect something like this from someone who's spineless."

No. She didn't like the Sasuke who was all over her. She didn't like the new version of him. Like the other day in the queue at the fast food restaurant, Sakura felt humiliated. He wasn't kissing her because he _wanted_ to. He wasn't squashing her into the sofa, hands roaming her body and lips on her neck because it was something he wanted to do. He was doing it to prove a point. The other day, he did it to show others she belonged to him. Now, he was doing it to show he wasn't spineless. He could go against the rules and orders.

"No, Sasuke-kun." She was annoyed by the lack of conviction in her voice. There was no Naruto lingering around, watching her back and putting Sasuke in his place when necessary. No, she had to stand up for herself. Like hell she was going to let him use her to get back at his parents and Madara, or show that she was his. "I said _no_, Sasuke-kun."

Like her voice was ice cold water being thrown over him, Sasuke tensed and snapped back, eyes wide on hers. The… She couldn't decide what sort of look was on his face. Horror? Fright? Disbelief? Anger? Who was he angry at? Her? Himself? Whatever expression on _her_ face was enough to break him, she soon came to realise. A strangled sound of pain left him, his back hitting the arm of the sofa before he was covering his face, shoulders shaking momentarily. It was the first time she'd ever seen him in such a state, the look of utter heartbreak not missed by her, but Sakura felt too numb to comfort him. _Did_ she even want to comfort him?

She wasn't sure how long it had been before he managed to choke out, "Go."

The order knocked her out of her numbness. That word – that single, simple word – made it feel as though a hand was holding her heart. Sasuke's hand. And he was squeezing it, breaking it in his careless grasp. "No."

He sucked in a breath, though it sounded more like a gasp, like he was struggling to keep calm. "Go."

Tears stung her eyes. "No."

Patience snapping, his hands dropped and he turned aggressively, snapping at her, "Get out, Sakura. Go home!"

Her lips turned down at the corners, the tears falling. There was too much finality in his words. "No, talk to me about it," she urged desperately. "I get that you're stressed-"

"Don't make excuses for me," he snarled in response. Finally, she could describe the look on his face, the expression a mixture of guilt and heartbreak. "What I just did is-" He looked sick with himself, suddenly unable to glance her way as he turned his head, hands balling into fists. "You don't deserve that."

That hold on her heart was making it difficult to breathe. "You're not-"

"We should break-"

"No."

"Sakura-"

"You're not leaving me," she snapped at him, fingers digging into the fabric of the sofa.

There was no disbelief or numbness – no, Sasuke had never been one to joke around or say things he didn't mean. Maybe, because she knew that about him or because of the severity of what could have happened, she skipped straight over that stage? Whatever the reason, she felt desperate. She felt scared. Terrified. Heartbroken. _Devastated._

When she moved towards him, Sasuke quickly stood, creating more distance. There wasn't anything she could really do other than watch him as he began pacing, trembling hands running through his hair, brushing the bangs from his forehead, slicking it all back until it fell forward again in its natural spiky mess. And while Sakura had often seen an aggravated Sasuke, she had never seen him appear so unnerved before.

"Sasuke-kun," she begged weakly, pitifully. "Please, don't leave me."

But her words only seemed to make him angrier and he whirled round on her, disbelieving anger directed at the both of them. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded with obvious exasperation. "Why can't you see that you deserve better? I was forc-" Was it the heartbreak on her features that caused him to cut himself off? Was it the disgust he felt towards himself and what he was about to admit? "Go. Please."

The 'please' broke her. Those last two words made her stomach drop. He spoke them so quietly, voice so vulnerable, that she honestly couldn't help but sob. "Is that what you want?" questioned Sakura, equally quiet.

"Of course not," he snapped like it was obvious and later, she would feel stunned to see tears in his eyes. "But-"

That was enough for her, she decided and shot to her feet, feeling hopeful. "But nothing." He took a step back when she reached out to him, but it didn't stop her. Relationships weren't easy, Sakura reminded herself, watching him determinedly through blurred version. They had to work at it. "We can-"

"Stop it," he warned with a shake of his head, stepping back again.

"Sasuke-kun,_ please_. I-"

"Just _leave,"_ Sasuke yelled and the breath was knocked out of her when she was shoved backwards, colliding with the sofa and collapsing in a heap of useless limbs.

It was the sight that welcomed the man she'd previously been begging for help, his lips parting in shock, incredulity written throughout his features and body language. It had nothing on the horror that returned to Sasuke's face, turning him a sickly pale, hands remaining in the air. They felt like they were still on her, the pressure of them on her chest unbearable.

"Go home, Sakura." Unlike before, his voice was now weak. She noticed he couldn't look at her or the intruder, his gaze fixed on the ground between them. "Please."

Presumably noticing that she was in shock, Itachi approached her and held out his hands, waiting patiently until she responded before helping Sakura stand. "Come, Sakura. I will drive you home."

Feebly, she tried to argue, saying, "I don't want to-"

"You may not want it, but space is necessary right now on both sides." The hold on her, secure and strong, kept her standing and she was unable to resist Itachi as he guided her from the room. Before they left, however, he looked over his shoulder at his younger brother, murmuring, "I will speak with you later, Sasuke."

The walk to her car was silent and Sakura was too distraught to notice the way Mikoto averted her eyes, returning to the safety of her kitchen and pretending as though she hadn't overheard the entire argument.

While she felt cold, her limbs were shaking with her intense emotions. How she could even move, Sakura wasn't entirely sure. Sasuke had punched a hole straight through her chest, his words hurting her far worse than he ever could physically harm her. Breaking up was the last thing she wanted and with how well they'd been doing in terms of being open with one another, it was the last thing she expected, too. Was she in shock? Perhaps. Was that why she was capable of sliding into her car, though unable to actually take in her surroundings?

Itachi was silent as he prepared himself for the drive to her home, taking a few extra moments tapping away at his phone. Vaguely, she heard him informing her of Shisui picking him up from her place, possibly trying to keep himself from appearing as rude for messing with his phone.

Music blared through her speakers when the engine was started, the voice filling the silence haunting as the man sung about his love. Since the weekend away, Sakura had alternated through the albums of her favourite band, reliving that moment of madness up on the stage with Naruto and envisioning what it would be like to sing more of the band's songs. Pointless fantasies, really.

She grabbed his wrist when Itachi moved to turn the stereo off, shaking her head silently when he looked to her questioningly. He must have understood, because for a long moment, she sensed him watching her, only pulling his arm back to himself when she moved first, head turning to stare out of the window when he set off.

_Get out._

They had obviously argued before – being together for five years and claiming not to have disagreed was a blatant lie. No relationship was perfect and theirs was certainly far from it. But while they'd disagreed from time to time, it never escalated like… Sakura bit her lip harshly, unable to ignore the feeling of his hands on her, shoving her.

_Go. Please._

Breaking up had… It had never been an option before. No matter how bad the situation, they had never been open to the idea of going their separate ways. They'd always seen the light at the end of tunnel, knowing without even thinking about it their upset was only temporary. Their love was stronger than any disagreement.

_Why can't you see that you deserve better?_

Why couldn't he see that she didn't want anyone else? That she didn't want him to change? She loved Sasuke for who he was and the memories of their relationship brought on a new wave of tears. The intense, irritable and passionate man he was becoming was who she wanted to spend her life with – in a way, she'd had a part in shaping him, just as he had her. Without him, she wouldn't be the person she was. And they still had so much growing to do. Why couldn't he see that?

_What's wrong with you?_

In the same moment she sobbed, Itachi pulled over and switched the engine off, though hesitated for the longest time. Only after careful consideration did he reach out to her, gently bringing her towards him, allowing Sakura to bury her face in his shoulder. There was no fight left within her to argue against the foreign movement. No reason for her to pull away, not even as that whiny, anxious voice in the back of her mind warned her of the shirt she was about to ruin. The mixture of makeup, tears and snot would be an ugly one, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Instead, she clung to him, shaking in his arms, inhaling his odd scent that she couldn't place whenever she greedily gulped in deep breaths.

"Give Sasuke time to calm himself," Itachi murmured to her, his voice gentle and smooth. "Neither of you are in any position to make such rash decisions."

She knew that. The question was: did Sasuke? It was a scary question. Sakura knew her boyfriend well, therefore knew how stubborn he could be. She knew how badly he could get lost in his thoughts, torturing himself with how…

"What started the argument? Would you like to talk about it?"

No. She couldn't. Not without making Sasuke look like the bad guy. He wasn't a bad guy. He merely made bad choices, cracking under the pressure that he constantly struggled with. Was it a scary situation they'd been in? Hell yeah. No doubt about it. Having to stress her point of saying no was… It shouldn't have to happen. The first no was supposed to be more than enough. For Sasuke to continue his ministrations, so obviously not taking her feelings into consideration, sent ice cold shivers down her spine. What would Itachi think if she told him about what happened? Would he grow angry with Sasuke? Would he judge her?

She shook her head in response to his question, hands raising to cling to his shirt, keeping him in place, continuing to try and focus on the strange scent of his aftershave, trying to decide whether she liked it. It was the only thing keeping her from completely shutting down.

"No matter what started the argument, it does not excuse his actions, Sakura-san," stated Itachi more seriously and he carefully leaned back, trying to catch her eye. "One should never resort to violence to express their feelings. It doesn't matter if you're his girlfriend, if you were the same gender, a murderer or a stranger in the street. Violence solves nothing."

"He didn't mean-"

"Don't." His voice was firmer, stronger. "Regardless of the situation or how badly he was wronged, he should know better." She was unable to resist him when Itachi forced her to meet his eye and Sakura swallowed, recalling the way Sasuke had handled her similarly. Fingers beneath her chin, controlling her movements. Unlike with her boyfriend, however, she was able to pull away if she wanted to. She simply didn't have the energy to, instead allowing Itachi to keep their eyes locked. "Do not make excuses for him or attempt to downplay the severity of what happened. Sasuke's actions were wrong."

Were they, though? She'd pushed and pushed at him, refusing to respect his decision when he asked her to leave. Instead of sticking around, demanding answers from him when he was clearly in the wrong state of mind for such pressure, she should have given him his space. If she had, he wouldn't have broken up with her.

A look of sadness passed through his eyes when a new round of sobbing began and Itachi allowed her to return to her seat. The engine restarted when she brought her knees to her chest, arms encasing her head, attempting to smother her heartbreak or at the very least grant herself a shred of privacy.

To say her parents were startled by the state of her emotions was an understatement and Sakura knew that, later, she would feel grateful for Itachi explaining only part of the situation to her mother while handing over her car keys. Their looks of sympathy didn't help matters, however, and Sakura was quick to kick her shoes off and rush to her bedroom, door shutting with a slam.

_It's over._

She collapsed onto her bed, bringing a fluffy cushion to her chest as she curled around it.

It was over.

* * *

Hesitant knocking brought her out of her stupor long enough to wonder who could possibly want to bother her. Moments later and her mother slowly entered the room with a tray in her hands, green eyes sympathetic as they took in her pitiful state. Unable to stand the pity, Sakura's head dropped back to the pillow, gaze returning to watching the life outside her bedroom window.

It had been two days since Sasuke broke up with her. In all that time, she heard nothing from him, although she did receive a text from Itachi last night, asking her how she was feeling. She'd yet to reply. As pathetic as it sounded, she couldn't bring herself to look at her phone. Couldn't be bothered eating. The only time she really left her bed was to go to the bathroom and even then, she put it off for as long as physically possible.

Sakura couldn't recall a time she'd ever left her hair unwashed, but even the greasy feeling of it didn't affect her. Caring about something like that seemed so stupid. It was insignificant.

Five years.

"Sakura," her mother said with a sigh, placing the tray on her nightstand. The smell of toast drifted to her, followed by the sweet scent of her favourite tea. It only served in making her feel nauseated. "Have you heard from him?"

Part of her was grateful to Itachi for not revealing just how bad it got between them. How would her parents react to knowing it got physical between her and Sasuke? Would they be angry with him for shoving her? Would they blame her for it, knowing how pushy and stubborn she could be?

"Love isn't supposed to be easy, y'know," she continued, ignoring the silence and the fact she wanted nothing more than to be alone. "If it was, life would be boring."

She would take boring over feeling so utterly broken any day. Five years of her life was over – not exactly a waste, but it made her question the point of it all. All the effort and time she put into their relationship, all of the _hard fucking work_. Over. Up until the other night, they had never experienced anything seriously negative and honestly, Sakura had believed their love to be strong enough to handle anything bad. Five years. _Five fucking years_ they'd been building their relationship, working at it and supposedly falling more and more in love. How the hell couldn't they work through something like that? Was she underestimating the seriousness of what happened? Was she _over_estimating Sasuke's feelings for her?

Accompanying the seemingly ever-present heartache, she felt a pure hot rage swelling in her chest, strong enough for her to finally turn away from the window and sit up, assessing her room. She continued to ignore her mother's lecture on love, instead thinking back on the night's events and how she was so goddamn stupid for assuming they could work through it.

If Sasuke cared at all, he would fight for them. He wouldn't let one bad experience destroy them. There was always something she had to work on for their relationship, but as soon as _he_ had to do something, it was over.

It was over.

"Sakura? Are you listening to me?"

She needed air. And space. And time to herself. Having her parents hovering over her, watching her with their pity and their _understanding_ was driving her insane. And staying curled up in bed, moping and crying for days wouldn't get her anywhere.

"I'm going for a run."

"Do you want me to join you?" asked her mother, eyes hopeful, probably happy and trying to encourage her sudden motivation. "We could make a day of it-"

"No," she answered bluntly and stood. Going to her drawers, she found her gym clothes, though had to dig deeper to try and find her sports bras.

"To the left, under your socks. Your favourite should be in there – the red one." Anger subsiding slightly, Sakura offered her mother a grateful smile and in response, Mebuki patted her shoulder, telling her, "Remember: when one door closes, another opens, even if you can't see the next door just yet." Smirking a little, she added, "You don't know it, but you're strong enough to break out of that room – door or no door."

The words fuelled the restless anger within her and Sakura nodded once, already in the process of changing into her gym clothes. By the time she was dressed and stretched, her mother was gone, meeting her by the front door with her trainers and a bottle of water.

Having decided it was pointless to wash her hair before exercising, she quickly threw it up, giving it a quick spray with dry shampoo to give the impression it was clean.

"Stretched?" Sakura nodded, sliding her phone into an arm band, earphones at the ready as they hung around her neck. "Don't forget to stretch afterwards, too. And be safe."

And then she was off, music blaring and drowning out her thoughts. Later, she would regret starting off with a sprint, continuing said sprint even when she ached and her lungs burned, but for the duration of her run, she needed it. And soon enough, it wasn't about exercise. It was about the freedom of running and not stopping for anything.

As long as she kept moving, she would be okay.

Right?

* * *

Forced to come to a stop, Sakura doubled over, hands on her knees as she tried to control her breathing.

Gods, she'd been running for what felt like hours. But it felt good. Therapeutic, in a way. For the first time in who knows how long, she didn't care about her appearance – something major for her. Red faced and drenched in sweat, no doubt _reeking_ from it, her baggy sheer white shirt falling from one shoulder and clinging to her skin, making the red sports bra more prominent.

The only reason she'd stopped was because the ringing of her phone cut off the music. First time, she managed to ignore it, barely even noticing the change. The second time, it bugged her. The seventh time her phone started ringing, it ruined her pace, forcing her to stop. She didn't rush to answer it, choosing to catch her breath first. It was the eighth time she was called that she answered.

"Hello?"

There was a pause in response, but when he spoke, Sakura swallowed hard, anger evaporating when he said, "_I've been trying to call you."_

She leaned back against the nearest tree and shut her eyes, breathing deeply. At some point during her run, she had made it to the park towards the quieter part of Konoha. People rarely ventured so far, wishing to remain close to civilisation (Sakura would never admit to her mother how far she ran – she would undoubtedly lecture her again on safety), but those who enjoyed nature frequented it often, enjoying the untouched grass, the free animals who existed happily, undisturbed.

"I'm out for a run," she replied lamely.

Another pause, lasting longer than the first. Had they ever struggled to fill the silence before? To express their feelings? She'd grown so used to hearing him speak articulately, surely. Sasuke was always sure of himself, but on the phone, he sounded quiet. Wary. It was difficult wrapping her head around it.

"_Can we meet?"_

A horrible ache made itself known, anxiety whispering away to her, telling Sakura that he wanted to officially end things. Wanted to make sure there was no uncertainty between them. That or he would ask for all the gifts from the past five years back, along with the several shirts and jackets she'd 'forgotten' to hand back. He wanted his stuff back, would hand over hers. Then it was over for good.

"_Sakura."_

"Yeah," she replied over the lump in her throat, thankful that it was such a quiet area. The tears from earlier returned, making her wonder how she even had anything left to cry. "When?"

"_Tonight. I'll-" _He cut himself off, changing his sentence around when he offered, _"I can pick you up?"_

The discomfort evident in his voice had her wiping harshly at her eyes, stomach twisting sickeningly. "What time?"

"_Seven?"_

She wasn't used to hearing him _asking_ if the plans were okay. Her boyfriend – no, _Sasuke_ usually took charge. The change was unwelcome. "Okay."

Another pause. "_I'll… see you."_

Unable to talk any longer, Sakura hung up, eyes glued to the screensaver until the pain in her heart had her lashing out, yelling angrily as she threw her phone at a tree.

* * *

_Be strong._

_Hold your head high._

The advice shared by her mother was difficult to follow as Sakura stood in front of her house, waiting for Sasuke to arrive. Her fingers ached to fidget, chest shaking momentarily as she reminded herself his possessions were piled neatly by the front door, inside at her mother's insistence.

_You can't assume he's here to cut ties, Sakura. Doing so might make him think _you're_ cutting all ties._

Hoping was dangerous. Apparently, she was too much of an idealist, having assumed Sasuke would fight for their relationship rather than immediately go to an option she never would have considered – it wasn't even an option, in her mind. It didn't exist. What was the point of being in a relationship if there was no fight to save it? Why bother with any of it if people believed the answer to problems was to lay back and take it?

Had she been scared when Sasuke wouldn't listen to her? Definitely – who wouldn't? Having to repeat her 'no' was unacceptable. _However_, Sakura was not that little of a person to refuse to admit that she _had_ sent out mixed signals. Up until that final 'no', she had been torn between accepting his affections and pushing him away. How the hell was he supposed to read her body language if she herself didn't know what she wanted?

It was all wrong, in her eyes. Their actions, her uncertainty, his ignorance, but most importantly, the _reasoning_ behind the make-out session. Then, there was his anger and her pushing. Again, they were both in the wrong. She should have allowed him to have time to himself. He shouldn't have lost control and shoved her with enough force to knock her on her ass.

Running had certainly cleared her mind, allowing Sakura to step back and view the bigger picture. Yes, she was still in pain, but she liked to believe it didn't cloud her judgement _too_ much.

All thoughts came to a screeching halt the second Sasuke's car appeared at the bottom of her street. The sight of it pulling up in front of her house had her momentarily frozen, conflicted about whether she should go or not. What if he _was_ only there to end things?

"_Go, Sakura!"_ she heard her mother hissing through the door.

Breathing in deeply, Sakura released the breath slowly, willing herself to stay strong for the conversation. Regardless of which way it went, she had to deal with it. If he ended it, she would try and talk to him about working on it. If they stayed together, they still had issues to work on.

Like on the phone, Sasuke was awkwardly silent when she climbed into his car and she briefly glanced over her shoulder, only partially glad to find the back seat was empty. She had so much at his place that it wouldn't all fit in the trunk.

"Hey," she said weakly, hesitantly and tried to smile.

Her heart sunk when he didn't meet her eye, instead focusing more than necessary on setting off. "Put your seat belt on."

Sakura could only nod. He wouldn't even look at her, she realised and in response, she had to try harder to stay strong. No matter how badly she was hurting, crying in front of him wasn't an option.

She didn't ask where he was taking her. Didn't ask why he wanted to meet up. If she continued the conversation when he had the excuse of focusing on the road, she would inevitably grow annoyed with his distracted responses. Getting angry was something she wanted to avoid – on both parts. It wouldn't help the situation in the least.

They arrived only a handful of minutes later at a park with plenty of lighting and she noticed they weren't the only ones parked outside the gates, making her wonder if Sasuke had wanted to speak privately, without the risk of anyone listening in, while simultaneously having people walk by them, reminding them they weren't alone. She'd imagined he would've wanted to go to for dinner, where they could talk as they ate. But maybe that wasn't private enough for him? Or was she thinking too much into it?

Nerves caused a faint shake of her hands and she struggled to hide it. Due to it being summer and so hot, she'd refrained from wearing a jacket with pockets, instead pairing her long-sleeved dress with a cropped denim gilet. Gods, she wished she'd suffered through wearing the jacket.

Sasuke walked ahead of her a few steps, giving Sakura the chance to watch him, trying to read his body language to predict how their meeting was going to go. There was nothing to read, other than tense muscles. His hands were in his jean pockets, but his strides were purposeful and strong. If he was experiencing inner turmoil like she was, he certainly didn't show it.

Towards the entrance of the park, there were several picnic benches, all of which were fortunately vacant, giving them the opportunity to sit and talk. She braved the wood chippings in her sandals, eyeing them warily to ensure her poor feet weren't harmed or dirtied.

For the longest while, they just sat there. Neither looking at one another or speaking, uncomfortable in their silence. Whereas Sasuke straddled one of the benches, she sat on the table itself, feet resting on the seat. Was it a good sign that he sat on the same side as her? What did it mean that there wasn't any more distance than what had been between them in his car?

Joggers captured her attention and Sakura allowed her gaze to follow them as they ran by. The two men were sweaty and breathless, but determined to carry on, encouraging one another. Briefly, she smiled when they glanced her way before looking to Sasuke once more, surprised to find he was already watching her.

"Are you okay?"

She frowned, unable to decide whether she should answer truthfully or not. Honestly? No. She wasn't okay. But could she really tell him that? Swallowing, Sakura shook her head, eyes dropping to the space between them. She wished she was stronger, wished she could lie through her teeth and smile and bat her eyelashes until she got home, where she could cry in privacy, but… It just wasn't her.

"I…" The words seemed to die on his tongue, forcing her to look back to him. He was still watching her, seeming to struggle more with his words when their eyes connected. "An apology doesn't seem like it's enough."

_You deserve better._

"Sasuke-kun, I-"

"Let me finish," he requested quietly, silencing her with his eyes. It wasn't until that moment that she realised he wasn't acting cold towards her – he was _struggling_. In the car, she'd believed he couldn't look at her because he felt guilty about breaking up with her, but now, he seemed broken, in a way. "What happened – what I did – there's no excusing it. I…" Like the other night, his voice broke somewhat and he briefly looked away, only to force himself to maintain eye contact as he finished, "I forced myself on you and I got violent when the situation became too much for me." Dark eyebrows knitted together when she quickly wiped at her eye, his jaw clenching when he heard her unsteady breathing. "You've always been…" Sasuke shook his head, visibly struggling for the right words. "Out of everyone in my life, you're the most important to me. You're there for me, you motivate me and you make me want to become a better person."

Gods, the weight in her chest was crushing her. It felt as though she couldn't breathe, like the oxygen was being sucked out of the universe, leaving her to suffocate.

"You're the last person I ever want to hurt."

He'd never been so open with his feelings before – not including the weekend away, where he'd been so drunk he couldn't keep everything bottled up. Having him sat beside her, seeing the intensity of his feelings written all over his face, broke her. Sakura had always believed she'd _cherish_ the day Sasuke openly admitted to how much he cared for her, but she didn't feel like cherishing any of it. It felt like a goodbye.

His gaze dropped, voice almost strained when he told her, "I need a break."

There it was. Out there in the open. And thinking about it constantly over the past couple of days, telling herself time and time that it was over, did nothing to lessen the force of the blow. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the bench tightly, all but anchoring herself to the wood as she fought through the waves of agony that threatened to drown her.

When she said nothing, Sasuke continued, still looking away. "I need space. To go over what happened, figure out how and why I thought for even a second that what I was doing was okay."

Desperation clawed at her heart. "I don't want to break up-"

"Neither do I," he assured her, eyes meeting once more. Had she not been so breathless, so in pain, she would have been stunned by the redness of his eyes. "That's why I need space to clear my head. I messed up, Sakura and I need time to…" He sighed irritably when he lost his words. "Breaking up is the last thing I want."

Why didn't those words offer her any sort of relief? "I love you," she tried pitifully.

It was at her sob that Sasuke stood up, unable to stop himself from tugging her to him, embracing her tightly, almost desperately. "Go on your photo shoot. Have fun." His voice was strained, hands trembling minutely. "We'll talk more when you get back. When we've both had time to really take everything in."

"But I-"

"Please, Sakura. I want to be a better person for you. But I need time."

It shook her to hear him beg, made a vicious lump of helplessness sit heavily on her chest and in her throat, refusing to let her speak. All she could do was cling to him, face burying in his neck, breathing in his scent and storing it to memory, like it was the last time she was ever going to be held by him. She could only nod in response, grateful that he didn't seem ready to let her go, either.


	9. I Will Leave the Light On

**Chapter 9**

**I Will Leave The Light On**

* * *

Running became her favourite pastime.

While Sakura had always enjoyed being active and keeping fit, it had never been such a necessity. She'd never felt the urge to drag her ass out of bed at the crack of dawn, desperate to feel the morning rays soaking into her pores. The cold, crisp air that burned her lungs whenever she failed to keep her breathing in control. Music blaring through her earphones, but then the sounds of morning life greeting her when she took a break. It was refreshing. It was possibly the only thing keeping her sane during…

It wasn't a break up. They'd agreed on that when she stalled in leaving his car to go home, unable to look at him under the suffocating pressure but unable to leave at the same time. They were taking a break – still together, but taking time apart. Not that that made it hurt any less. She'd gone from seeing Sasuke every day, from phone calls late at night when neither of them could sleep, to texting every so often to see how the other was doing, if that.

The night before, she'd received a text from Deidara, telling her that they needed to hurry up with their decision. Something about Kurotsuchi getting impatient and annoying him. Honestly, Sakura had pushed the modelling to the back of her mind, as just thinking about it reminded her of that night and the look in Sasuke's eyes when he said the words. It'd been a complete mirror image of what she felt inside: broken and lost.

So why had they decided on the break if they were both so against it? Her mother had explained it to her simply: sometimes, people needed to fall apart to come back together. They'd spent so much of their childhood and teenage years glued at the hip – needing to find themselves individually was a major step in life. One of the most important ones. And while Sakura knew that, in the long run, it would be beneficial for the both of them… Well, she childishly – perhaps even cowardly – wanted to skip the painful part.

She sat on the edge of her bed, gaze travelling to her phone when it alerted her of a new message. Gathering enough energy to check said message was impossible in that moment, so Sakura remained seated on her bed in a towel, fresh from the bath. She'd seriously pushed herself with her most recent run, taking an extra lap around the park. Everything was hurting already despite her warm up and cool down, but while it was unbearable, it was also welcomed.

It was the sound of her phone ringing that had her moving with a sigh, only briefly glancing at the caller I.D before she was answering with a mumble.

"_You sound weary. Is this a bad time?"_

Did she? "No, it's not. I'm fine."

There was a contemplative pause on the other end of the line, but it was soon replaced by his voice as he asked, _"Did you receive a reminder from Deidara-san?"_

"Yeah," Sakura replied and fell back onto her bed, eyes shutting at the agonising relief that spread throughout her spine, legs and feet. "I was going to call you about it."

"_Do you still want to do it?"_

Oh, there was a new mark on her ceiling, she noticed with a small amount of fascination once her eyes reopened. She wondered how it got there. "Part of me does."

"_And the other part of you?"_

She sighed deeply at his question. "The other part of me wants to wallow in my own self-pity. I miss him so much that it hurts, Itachi-san," came her weak reply. Then, after a short pause, she asked quietly, "How is he?"

"_Quiet_," replied Itachi. "_But you know my brother better than anyone, Sakura-san. You should already know that he is hiding how he's truly feeling."_

Yeah, she guessed so. Was it wrong of her to want to hear that he was struggling, too? That she wasn't the only one suffering?

"_Can I make a suggestion?"_

So unlike his brother, Sakura thought with a small smile. Sasuke wouldn't have asked if it was okay to voice his opinion – he'd say it without a care. If people were offended by his words, it was their problem, not his. "Sure."

"_Going on this trip will give you the chance to clear your mind, so please, join me."_ However, like Sasuke, Itachi also sounded sure of himself. Despite asking for permission to speak out, he sounded composed and assertive. He wasn't asking her to join him, he was telling her to. "_Sitting in your bedroom wallowing in your self-pity will get you nowhere."_

Yeah, she knew that already. Kind of hard _not_ to get that particular message when her mother repeated it several times a day, ignoring her father whenever he told her to get off her case. But what else was she supposed to do? Her routine – the routine she'd followed for five years – had been broken and the only part of her day that resembled any sort of structure was her going to work. Even then, that was ruined. For the first couple of days after her break, she'd waited outside for five minutes before remembering with a heavy heart that Sasuke wasn't going to be meeting her for lunch. Now, she remembered when reaching the locker room, leading her to turn on her heel and join other employees in the dull staff kitchen.

She didn't feel like going out with friends. Didn't feel like reaching out to people only to be rejected or hear about how they're _so busy_ with everything that's going on around them. Honestly, Sakura wasn't even sure _who_ her friends were. Just like she didn't reach out to anyone, nobody reached out to her. There was, of course, the odd text or phone call from Naruto checking in on her, but he was always glued to Sasuke's side. She wasn't about to pour her heart out to him knowing Sasuke would hear or read everything. How pathetic would that be?

"_Sakura-san."_

Had she got lost in her thoughts again? She repressed a sigh. "Fine," came her distant reply. "What do you want to do?"

"_We should discuss what we hope to gain and avoid between ourselves first, do you agree?"_

"I guess."

"_Then, we can approach Kurotsuchi-san with those details and demands."_

Did she really have the energy for any of that? "Where?"

"_Sasuke has accompanied Father on a business trip-"_

"I can't come to your place, Itachi-san," she cut him off, uncaring of sounding rude.

"_Sasuke won't be in Konoha and shouldn't be home until this evening, unless there is an issue with the meeting."_

No. It was too risky. There was every chance something could go wrong during the meeting. If it did, she would have to see him. As much as her heart begged to just see him, to speak with him for five minutes, she wasn't going to. Just the thought of facing him hurt. How would it feel being feet away from him?

"No-"

"_From what Sasuke has told me: you are on a break. Wouldn't it be best to try and remain amicable during said break?"_

Probably, yeah. Was it as easy as that? Hell no.

"_How do you expect to come back from this if you refuse to speak to one another?"_

Despite her head warning her to remain strong, Sakura found herself looking to the right, gazing at the framed photograph of her and Sasuke, the longing of her heart almost crippling. The smile on his lips, _in his eyes_, as they stood hand-in-hand in the snow, only made the pain worse. Gods, she was like a drug addict, wasn't she? But could anyone really blame her? They had never gone so long without seeing one another. They–

Before she could stop herself, she asked, "When does he leave?"

"_In less than an hour."_

"I better get ready then."

* * *

What was she doing?

_What in the hell was she doing?_

"Sakura-chan," Mikoto greeted in surprise. Only seconds later and she was ushering her inside, her dark eyes were warming with a mixture of relief and happiness. "Please, come in. Sasuke is with his father in the study. I will go and tell him you're here."

She tried to find her voice, to inform Mikoto that it was actually Itachi she was there to see (with a giddy heart hoping and praying she just so happened to see Sasuke, too), but she found herself silenced. By what, Sakura wasn't sure. All she could really tell was that it felt like a tiny glimpse of heaven being back in the Uchiha home, knowing she was so, so close to him.

Already, Mikoto was gone, leaving Sakura to slip off her shoes and replace them with her slippers. The older woman had bought them mere days into hers and Sasuke's relationship, telling her both silently and in words later that day that she wanted her to always feel welcome in their home. Now, whenever she replaced the family's slippers, she replaced hers, too and she couldn't believe how much that meant to her now. Previously, she'd been grateful and happy for superficial reasons. Now…

"Sakura?"

All rational thoughts came to a screeching halt when their eyes met, the ache in her heart seeming to ease slightly with his presence alone. In his slim fitted suit, with his hair smartly slicked back and off his face, he looked almost perfect. Like there was no significant changes in his life that could potentially run him down or cause emotional upset. But, she knew different. It was in his eyes. Even if he wanted to, Sasuke would never be able to keep his eyes from telling her the truth. People called her crazy when she told them that, when she argued that he _did_ care about her despite his cold displays, but she didn't care. They could call her whatever they wanted. They couldn't see what she could see. Itachi said it himself: she knew Sasuke better than anyone.

"You should have told me you were coming," he said quietly and reached for the living room door, opening it for her. Unable to say anything, Sakura silently walked into the room, glancing over her shoulder at him when he shut the door behind them. "I'm leaving for a meeting with Father in fifteen minutes. Had I known…"

He would have cancelled on his father? Told him he had something more important to attend to? They both knew he wouldn't do that. He needed Fugaku's approval and praise too much. He wouldn't risk disappointing him.

"You look good."

Did she? She'd rushed through drying and straightening her hair, spending even less time on her makeup (she wouldn't have bothered at all, but she wasn't sure whether they were meeting the photographer later and Sakura didn't want her to think she'd made a mistake in asking her to model for her portfolio) and her outfit was anything but spectacular. It was nice, sure, but it was casual. It was an outfit he'd seen hundreds of times in the past year alone. Then again, there wasn't an outfit she owned that he hadn't seen her wear.

"How-"

"I miss you." Her mind yelled at her heart for taking over her speech, but Sakura ignored the two, instead watching as Sasuke's eyes dropped to the ground, his eyebrows knitting together. Unsurprisingly, he only nodded, but she could tell from the way his jaw clenched that he wanted to say something in return. He wouldn't, however, due to the possibility of his family overhearing him. "Even if we're on a break, can't we be friends?" she asked pitifully, heart on her sleeve. "I know you're still here if I need you, but…"

The seemingly flawless composure cracked as Sasuke sighed and sat on the arm of the sofa, shoulders slumping somewhat. "Sakura…"

"I know," she murmured in response. The only thing stopping her from closing the distance between them, from reaching out to him, was how badly it had been received the last time she tried. "I know we said we'd take the time to try and grow as people and I know I'm being clingy and annoying-"

"Don't say that." At her confusion, he reiterated, stating, "Don't say you're annoying."

It took more energy than she originally realised for her to try and smile at him. "Oh? Is it only okay when you say it?"

But the poor joke went straight over his head. She could tell when he met her eye. "No, it's not."

"I meant-"

"Why are you here, Sakura? We need to stick to our word if we want to work on our relationship."

The cold outer shell was returning, she noticed with a heavy heart and honestly, Sakura wasn't sure she had the energy to try and knock it down. "Actually, I-" Was it really okay to admit she wasn't there for him? Wouldn't it seem like a low blow? "I…" No, she had to be strong. Both for herself and their relationship. If Sasuke thought it was only him who was putting an effort into changing, what would he think of her? "Itachi-san and I need to discuss the photo shoot before meeting the photographer."

Her nerves and heartache almost caused her to miss the way Sasuke averted his gaze, attempting to hide the disappointment. Almost. "You're not here…"

_You're not here for me._

Had she said the wrong thing after all? Should she have lied about why she was there? But if she did, how would that better their situation? They were taking time apart to better themselves, which would hopefully help their relationship. How were they supposed to make their relationship stronger if they lied to each other?

"I didn't have to meet Itachi-san here," she found herself admitting, cheeks growing warm. "He told me you were still home and said something that I know is true." When Sasuke only looked at her, Sakura swallowed, shifting in her stance. "How are we supposed to come back from this if we refuse to speak to each other?" The words had an impact, even though he hid it the best he could. "I'm not going to let five years of my life go, Sasuke-kun. I'm not letting you go."

Was it pathetic that her heart skipped a beat when he stood and held his hand out? That, when their skin touched, it felt like a weight left her shoulders, her entire body tingling with the relief of being in his arms once more. Their fingers grazed, soon linking and she found herself meeting his eye almost shyly, that relief only growing when she saw that he was feeling something similar to herself.

"Can we meet when we're both home?" came her quiet question. It was hard meeting his eyes again and part of Sakura was annoyed that she felt so childish and giddy, but she also felt an indescribable amount of joy – one that was overshadowing her embarrassment and annoyance. "To… To catch up?"

She held her breath when Sasuke's free hand faltered mid air between them, having been about to tip her chin in his direction so that they would make eye contact. His hesitance continued to show in the way he glanced at their joined hands, then to her features, frowning.

"We can't move past this if we don't communicate." He nodded. "You want that too, right?" she asked worriedly, biting her lip. "To move past this?"

"Of course I do," he told her with a sigh. The hold on her hand increased in strength and she breathed out a sigh of relief. "But I-"

"Sasuke?"

They stepped away from each other at his mother's apologetic appearance, trying her best to offer them a smile of encouragement. Once she had their full attention, she stepped further into the room, eyes showing her apologies.

"Your father is waiting for you, Sasuke," Mikoto informed him. "He would like to leave now."

Sasuke nodded and stood up straighter, turning on what Sakura and Naruto had often jokingly called his 'business mode'. He fixed his jacket, sparing his appearance a glance in the large, luxurious mirror situated above the fireplace. What he saw was good enough, he must have decided, because he faced her again. The words died on his tongue, however, and he hesitated once more.

Then, he warmed her heart by stepping forward and kissing her cheek. It wasn't something he'd ever done before – she had always been the one to kiss his cheek. But it conveyed the same sweetness and affection, she liked to believe and for the brief moment that her eyes met Mikoto's, she saw hope in the older woman's expression, leading her to believe that yes, it was a good sign.

She lingered when her son left, waiting until they heard Fugaku's car leave before turning, asking, "Would you like some tea, Sakura-chan? You have come all the way out here – it would be a shame for you to leave so soon."

"I'd love to, but," she began and paused for a moment, hearing footsteps in the hall. "I'm here to see Itachi-san."

The smile faltered, surprise written everywhere. "Itachi? You're here to spend time with Itachi?"

Like speaking his name summoned him, Itachi entered the living room, dressed as casually as herself and looking relaxed despite the stunned silence his mother greeted him with.

"You managed to get here early." She could only nod. Mikoto's uncertainty and surprise deprived her of her voice, filling Sakura with equal amounts of uncertainty. "Shall we go?"

As they left, she could both see and sense the one question that Mikoto was dying to ask her:

_Why?_

* * *

"I'm glad it went well."

"I said I _think_ it went well," Sakura repeated. The cold glass before her kept her palms from sweating too much as they talked, her anxiety increasing whenever she thought back to Mikoto's disbelieving… accusation? No, she hadn't been accusing her, had she? Had she? The more Sakura thought about it, she couldn't help but feel like there _was_ an accusation somewhere in there. "Sasuke-kun seems just as wary as I feel."

A dark eyebrow lifted, questioning as Itachi asked, "And that surprises you? My brother is only human, Sakura-san. It doesn't matter how hard he wishes for it to be different – he experiences the same emotions as the rest of us. You are not the only one in pain right now."

There was an undertone to his words, to the way he watched her. It made her think of a protective older sibling and she almost slapped a hand to her forehead as she realised that was exactly what Itachi was: Sasuke's older brother. Of course he was going to be protective of him. Not entirely defensive, but at the same time, showing hints of it. He wasn't going to choose sides – not that she would expect that from a man she barely knew. No, from the conversations she'd had with him, Itachi always said his piece and moved on, if it was possible to do so. He would defend his brother but wasn't above admitting he had his faults. That what he did was wrong.

How much did Itachi know? How much had Sasuke shared? She knew he saw the ending to their argument. He saw his brother shove her and heard him yelling. But did he know _why_ it escalated to that? An emotion she couldn't fully describe settled on her chest and green eyes bore down into the glass dripping with condensation, her fingertips soon tracing the droplets. Finding out how much he knew wasn't on her to do list. It felt… Sakura wasn't sure. Wrong? Shameful? Why did _she_ feel ashamed?

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "I know."

"I try not to get involved in situations such as these, especially when I don't know the whole story or the events leading up to it. It creates unfair judgement, not to mention I am biased by being Sasuke's brother." Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he set his cup back to the table, making her wonder how he was able to stand drinking tea in such hot weather. "It is difficult not to take sides."

"Then…" She shrugged helplessly, trying to smile. "How about we don't talk about it? What if we just hung out as friends?"

"Friends?"

As pitiful as she felt, having to ask to be friends when usually (in her experience, anyway) friendships just started, Sakura couldn't deny that she wanted to be friends with Itachi. "I always thought that if anything happened or I needed someone to be there, my friends would help me, but I haven't seen most of them for weeks now." The next smile came easier when she finally met his eye, working hard to push aside her shame. "You looked after me and spoke to my parents for me so I wouldn't have to. And you got me out of the house today."

"Friends," he repeated a second time and smiled faintly. "I would like that."

The sincerity in his smile had her returning it shyly, once more looking to her glass, unable to understand why it caused her cheeks to feel warm. When was the last time someone had seemed so genuine when it came to her? Had any of her other friends ever seemed so happy to be in her presence?

"We should talk about the photo shoot," she said after a few moments, brushing the hair behind her ear. "Do you have anything in particular you're against?"

Sitting back in his seat comfortably, Itachi nodded once, stating, "As you already know, one day, I will take over my father's company. I cannot do anything to jeopardise my future – or, in the long run, the company's."

Meaning, should the photo shoot be distasteful, there was every chance it could come back to bite him in the ass one day. They couldn't risk anything that would destroy their reputation – his own, his father's, the company's. She wasn't sure which he valued more, although Sakura liked to believe it was his own. Sure, the company was important and sure, they pretty much ran Konoha, but who cared? What was the point in becoming a powerful businessman if he could no longer look at himself in the mirror?

"I'm against anything inappropriate, too," Sakura agreed with a nod. Unlike Itachi's relaxed semi-recline, she sat up straight, elbows on the table as she leaned forward ever so slightly. "I want it to be something I'm proud of, you know? Something I can show my parents without fear of disappointing them."

"So, we agree on remaining fully clothed."

She smiled, pretending not to notice the surprised look an eavesdropper shot their way. "Definitely fully clothed."

While the photographer – Kurotsuchi – had insisted on the photo shoot being wedding themed, there would still be a reason why their swimsuit picture captured her attention. Any woman could pull off a wedding dress, kimono or suit, just as any man could. It was their half nakedness, their close proximity, that had her recruiting them. They would need to be adamant in their decision. It wouldn't be difficult, but Sakura knew she would feel guilty if Kurotsuchi had to change her planned theme because of them. How long had the woman spent planning everything to the finest detail?

"Do you have any other requirements?"

There was a long moment of pause as Sakura seriously considered his question, asking herself what possible embarrassing scenarios she could encounter. Other than being indecent, she couldn't really think of any. She–

Wait.

Ignoring the heat rising in her face was difficult. "We're obviously going to be posing as a married couple – or as about to be married."

Itachi faltered in sipping his tea, holding the cup to his lips and eyeing her silently for a second or two. "Yes."

Her blush deepened. Was he going to make her spell it out? Was he purposely being obtuse? Why was it only _just_ truly dawning on her what their photo shoot would mean? "So we're going to have to be close," she said slowly and once more began fidgeting with her glass. "Really close."

"I see," he murmured, placing the cup down after a long sip. "You are worried about what level of intimacy is required of us."

Basically, yes. They had to make it look believable, after all. Their connection had to seem real to potential clients, making it seem like a real wedding. At a real wedding the bride and groom always seemed so in love. They held each other. Kissed. She… Sakura swallowed, unable to maintain eye contact again as her blush began to rage. She couldn't do that. She couldn't kiss her boyfriend's brother. She couldn't kiss or pretend to be in love with anyone who wasn't Sasuke. It felt wrong.

"I don't know if I can do this," came her uncertain whisper. Briefly, she glanced at him, only to look away again when she found him watching her. "Sasuke-kun is-"

"My little brother," stated Itachi, cutting her off gently. "I am against anything that will cause him distress, also."

How was she supposed to look at Itachi and pretend to be in love with him? Reluctantly, Sakura forced herself to meet his eye again, drinking in his features. Despite several similarities, he and Sasuke didn't look all that alike – a good thing, she warned herself only seconds later. Imagining he was Sasuke was a dangerous path, she decided. Though, Sakura supposed, she could try and pretend that it was hers and Sasuke's wedding photographs she was posing for. Sasuke was a fairly private man. A prude, more or less. He wouldn't want to be all over one another in their photographs _or_ in front of others. But would that be okay for Kurotsuchi?

"We will inform Kurotsuchi-san of your commitment," he assured her with a small smile. "Try not to let it upset you too much or take the fun out of the experience for you."

Sakura smiled her thanks and finished the last of her drink. "I don't think there's anything else," she said after a while. Fingers trailing down the now empty glass, she sat back in her seat. "As long as we keep our dignity and don't have to be all over each other, I'm happy with everything."

"I must admit: I have no knowledge when it comes to photo shoots, therefore I don't know what to expect or request."

Was he always so formal? It had her biting back a smile. Maybe it was only when he was uncomfortable with admitting something, as Itachi certainly hadn't seemed so formal previously. "Communication is key, then," she answered. "If we tell Kurotsuchi-san that it's our first time in that sort of environment, she might clue us in on a few things."

He nodded. "Would you like to meet with her today?"

"Right now?" Another nod and she swallowed hard. It was a good thing she'd made sure to apply makeup earlier, as well as bring her emergency supplies. "Yeah. Sure."

Nerves had her reapplying her makeup twice before she was happy with the final result, returning to the table with a shy smile. Sakura wasn't sure how she felt when a look of understanding flitted through Itachi's gaze, his lack of questions leaving them to fall into silence. Was it an awkward silence? No, actually. She didn't think it was. It felt… oddly peaceful. As far as she could remember, Sakura had never been able to sit silently in a new friend's presence – she'd always felt obligated to keep the conversation going. But not with Itachi. With Itachi, she felt relaxed, like there were no expectations.

Smiling at the relief that flooded her system, she brought her glass to her lips, grateful to find Itachi had ordered another round of drinks. There were also a couple of muffins sitting between them and for the first time since that messy night with Sasuke, Sakura felt a pang of hunger, her stomach growling at the mere sight of the melting chocolate chips.

"No dango?" she asked teasingly, reminding him of the night at the theme park when he'd had several helpings of the stuff.

"Life is about trying new things," came his simple reply.

He'd never had a muffin before? Sakura's eyes narrowed playfully. "They had no dango, did they?"

"That is beside the point."

Oh, was he upset about that? Had she hit a nerve? "Muffins are great too," she soothed, but it was spoiled by the smirk on her lips. Picking the closest one up, she peeled back the brown casing. "You can't always go back to what you're used to, no matter how amazing they are in the moment."

A dark eyebrow lifted and it took her an extra few moments to realise the deeper meaning to her words. Once she saw it, however, the smirk slipped away and she sighed in relief as her phone binged, informing her of a text message.

"They're nearly here," she informed him.

Deidara was accompanying Kurotsuchi, possibly planning on working as a negotiator for them all – that was what she was hoping, anyway. Obviously, the blond knew what he was talking about when it came to photography and art. Would he be capable of finding the best fit for them all? He knew the photographer. He knew Itachi. He kind of knew her, too.

"I suppose you're right," said Itachi after finishing the last bite of his muffin, placing the neatly folded case back onto the plate.

Was he trying to soothe her nerves by keeping her talking? "About what?"

"Muffins."

She smiled faintly, wryly. "Replacing one unhealthy addiction with another."

"That is the pessimistic way of seeing things."

"It's the only way."

"Is that what you truly believe?"

"Don't you?"

"No," he stated, corners of his lips pulling upwards slightly. At her demanding stare, he enlightened her, saying, "I see it in conjunction to what I already said: life is about trying new things. Whether that be food, places or friendships. You can't always go back to what you're used to for a number of reasons, but more often than not, that allows room for something even better to grow or be achieved."

Her smile returned. She liked that way of thinking better. It didn't seem so dark. Before she could reply, however, the door to the café opened and she spotted Deidara. His long hair was half up and similar to the weekend at the theme park, half his face was covered by thick bangs. He certainly stood out in a crowd, just like Ino did, their appearances demanding all attention and it had her wondering what would happen, should they ever meet.

The woman following him was beautiful, Sakura noted instantly and she wished she'd put more thought into her appearance, suddenly feeling inadequate in her casual outfit. Kurotsuchi's hair was cut short, barely even chin length yet it managed to frame her pixie-like features, her wide brown eyes the main focus when one only saw her face. But it was her outfit that captured Sakura's attention, her eyes drawn to the high slits of her dress because _holy shit_ how in the hell was _that_ supposed to keep anything covered? The wind was going to blow the wrong way – it was going to blow _any_ way – and whoosh, her pale ass would be on show to the world.

Sakura followed Itachi's example when the pair approached, standing and greeting them politely. Instead of sitting in his previous seat, however, Itachi stepped aside and offered it to Kurotsuchi with a warm smile, taking the seat beside Sakura only a moment later.

"A gentleman, huh?" the woman said with a smirk. Dark eyes going to Deidara, she then said, "I thought you said he was an asshole?"

Wow. She was forward, too. She looked up at Itachi, though wasn't surprised to find his lack of response to her words. It didn't even seem to have registered with him.

"Don't start a conversation like that, Kurotsuchi," Deidara amazed her by admonishing her like an older sibling would. "Especially with potential clients."

"They'll come to learn-"

"That there's no hard feelings," he finished with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. "But not everyone will stick around if you insult them before the meeting's even started."

Oh, was he a mentor to her? It was hard to believe, but at the same time, seemed to work pretty well. By that, she meant that it seemed natural for him to fit into such a role, though that could have possibly been due to their relationship.

"Don't argue," came Deidara's aggravated grumble. "Now, hurry up and get on with it. You're losing their interest."

He was a harsh mentor, too. Before Sakura could try and offer any sort of assurance, Kurotsuchi was quick to slip into her business mode, surprising her with how serious she became. "I want to apologise in advance, because this is going to seem rushed," she explained without missing a beat, hands coming together on the table. "Deidara-nii told me this is your first time becoming involved with anything like this – both of you. Is that correct?"

It was a little disorientating having her switch between acting like a playful younger sibling, to an assertive business woman.

Wait. Did she say Deidara-_nii_? She'd said that on the phone too, hadn't she? Glancing to Itachi, Sakura noticed the brief question that ran through his mind, also. He must have decided it wasn't important enough to enquire about, however, instead choosing to answer Kurotsuchi's question with an equally short, "Correct."

"I know you, Uchiha Itachi, have been involved in family photo shoots – your family is famous and I've done my research. You, however," she said and paused, meeting Sakura's gaze inquisitively, "are a mystery other than the odd cameo on the arm of his younger brother."

That was because she was from an ordinary background, from an ordinary family who weren't stalked by paparazzi or invited to countless red carpets. The most exciting event that had ever happened to her family was her mother's promotion to the leader of her team, as said team had then thrown her a party to celebrate, inviting her nearest and dearest to join them.

"Don't look so worried – this isn't an interview," Kurotsuchi added, smiling and Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief in response, willing herself to release her nerves. Her throat felt uncomfortably dry, but she didn't trust herself to have a drink without somehow making an idiot of herself. Knowing her luck, she would end up spilling it either on herself, or them. "I've already said that I want you both. Even with your lack of experience, I know you're going to add something I'm missing to my portfolio. Before we get into what _you're_ hoping to gain from this experience, are there any questions?"

Again, Sakura looked to Itachi, wondering whether he wanted to take the lead and be their spokesperson. His only response was to meet her gaze steadily, discreetly glancing towards the pair opposite them, telling her to speak up. She wasn't sure she liked that. The pressure was something she didn't appreciate. She was too used to other people taking charge.

"What will happen on the day?" she asked lamely, unable to formulate one of the hundreds of questions she had spinning around in her mind. "What should we expect?"

"Honestly? That depends entirely on your choices and work ethic," she told them both. "If you choose to spread a photo shoot out, meaning we'll have an entire weekend to work together, you could find you prefer it. It doesn't necessarily mean a lesser workload, but it _does_ mean you can take longer breaks or go out and enjoy yourselves afterwards – so long as you don't do anything to disrupt the shoot the following day."

The thought of spreading it out definitely appealed to her more, Sakura thought. If they found the whole thing too much, they could break it up. They could try and find ways to make it more enjoyable. It also gave them the chance to get to know their photographer better – and her them – making it easier to work together.

"Will it be busy?" came her next question, deciding Kurotsuchi had answered the first one in enough detail for Itachi to pick apart, should she happened to have missed anything. "How many will be there to watch us?"

"Hopefully, not too many. Everyone has a specific role and if they have time to stand around and gawk, then they're not doing their jobs," she replied with a shrug. Sitting back, she assessed the café before pointing out, "Look at that waitress there. The one on her phone." Sakura followed her line of sight, eyes narrowing fractionally at the sight of the young girl. Her colleague was busy rushing around, trying to keep up with orders, his features apologetic when he met the watchful gazes of their table. It wasn't until that moment that Sakura realised Deidara and Kurotsuchi had yet to receive their orders. "Instead of clowning around on her phone, she should be cleaning tables – at the very least."

Nodding, Sakura murmured, "Her standing around actually creates more work for her colleague."

"Exactly." The dark haired woman paid no mind to Deidara as he stood and approached the waitress. It was hard following her example when Sakura picked up on the disapproving, almost condescending tone he used when addressing her. "I expect my hair and makeup artist to be there, so that they can work with me when there's changes in lighting, or potential shine, et cetera, et cetera." There was a pause in conversation when Deidara returned with two drinks, the woman from the counter soon storming by them to clean the table closest to the door. He offered them a mere shrug when both Sakura and Itachi looked his way, sipping away at his drink. "Depending on what idea we go with, you might see a few guys hanging around, waiting to add more props or adjust the setting."

Again, she nodded. It didn't sound half as daunting as her mind had been making it out to be, she decided. In TV shows, if there happened to be a photo shoot, there was always a room full of people watching the person posing for the camera and Sakura couldn't think of anything more uncomfortable. She knew already that she was going to feel self-conscious – why add to the stress by having an unnecessary crowd?

"Deidara-nii might be there, too," she added after another couple of moments and a sip of her drink, setting her glass to the table. "But he won't be getting involved much – hopefully."

What else was there that they needed to know? Why couldn't she ask any of the questions she'd been thinking of only an hour ago? Why had they flown straight out of her mind? "Is there anything we need to do or bring?"

Kurotsuchi was thoughtful for a few seconds, tapping at her thin lips before saying, "Bring some music – it'll help you both relax. Other than that, I can't think of anything, since the photo shoot is entirely my idea. We'll be using my props, you'll be wearing outfits chosen by me, your hair and makeup will be professionally done and, obviously, you won't have to think about how you want the pictures taken, whether you need them to be head shots, formal, et cetera." Waving a hand, she added, "I take care of all that, so you just need to show up on the day as blank canvases, fully rested and with your own music."

"I can only think of one more question," Sakura said almost apologetically, looking between the group.

The older woman smiled encouragingly and shook her head, telling her, "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure to give you my number. If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to call or text. Please keep in mind, however, that it might take a few hours for me to get back to you. It's been pretty hectic lately."

"If we're not comfortable with something at any point during the photo shoot, would we be okay to refuse? Or is there a strict plan you're trying to follow?"

"Oh, absolutely – to both," she replied easily. "Your comfort comes first and I'll always run my ideas by you before going through with something. So I won't turn up to your dressing room with crotchless panties and expect you to be out in front of the camera within five minutes. If you tell me you're not happy with one of my ideas, we'll work around it. The best part about my portfolio is that it's flexible. It's going to include a bit of everything."

Just the thought of _those_ kinds of underwear had her face heating up dramatically, eyes a fraction wider and she heard Itachi chuckle once – no doubt at her reaction.

"I also believe in the whole 'no touching without permission' thing, meaning I won't suddenly be in your face and physically moving you into another pose," Kurotsuchi assured them both and smiled again. "I wouldn't expect either of you to do anything I myself wouldn't be comfortable with. Does that answer your question?" When Sakura could only nod, still stuck on the thought of wearing crotchless panties, she then said, "All questions asked by the other models started with payment, which makes me think it could be in your list of demands?"

Again, Sakura looked to Itachi questioningly, inwardly frowning at the wording of Kurotsuchi's sentence. Demands sounded so harsh and rude, like they would refuse to help out should she not agree to something. That wasn't the case, though. They were more than willing to negotiate. Sure, there were a few minor details that weren't up for discussion and Sakura supposed that made them demands, but _still_.

"We are happy with whatever you are offering," Itachi replied for them both and she couldn't deny that she was relieved he was taking charge when it came to negotiating. He would definitely be better for the task. "However, there are several details we believe need to be brought to light. Hard limits, I suppose you could call them." Nodding once, seriously, Kurotsuchi sat forward, making it obvious she was listening. "Firstly, I would like to ask you why you chose us specifically. Deidara-san captured many photographs over the weekend, many of which appear more professional than us lounging around."

"Ah," Kurotsuchi said with a nod, smiling again. "It's the lounging around that I liked most. It seemed natural to me. Even now, just sitting here together, you both seem to be at total ease around one another. _That's_ what I want to capture."

"And it has nothing to do with us being half naked?" questioned Sakura. Beneath the table, her fingers fidgeted endlessly until a hand reached out, taking her by surprise and stilling them. She swallowed at the feeling of the large hand circling hers, unable to understand why it only added to her nerves.

The woman frowned briefly, admitting, "I'll admit: you guys look great together, but Deidara-nii has already told me you're actually in a relationship with… Sasuke, was it?" There was a vicious whip at her heart and in response, like he could sense the pain, there was a single, comforting squeeze from the hand holding hers before it fell away, leaving Sakura to feel oddly cold. "Who is your younger brother, correct?" Itachi nodded once. "Look, I don't want any drama brought to my doorstep or even created because of me. I promise to respect your relationships one hundred percent."

She smiled with relief. "Thank you."

"Saying that, it _was_ your bodies that had me enamoured."

The smile dropped.

"Excuse me?"

Smiling at the reaction, she explained, "You clearly take care of yourselves. If the wedding photo shoot doesn't work out for us because it feels too weird, or doesn't look natural enough for my liking, then we can go to my backup plan."

"Which is?"

"Well, I want to appeal to all audiences, so I want to try and add something that could class as sports advertisement – or sports clothing. I'm showing potential clients that I can cater to their tastes, no matter what they happen to be."

"You're adding unnecessary-"

"Shut up, Deidara-nii. It's my choice!"

They were like brother and sister, Sakura thought with a small smirk, unable to tear her eyes away from the bickering pair. And as much as Deidara tried to hide behind his mask of annoyance and disbelief, grumbling about how unnecessary Kurotsuchi's extra workload was, she could see the through it. She had experience with proud, stoic men, after all. If she hadn't learned how to read Sasuke after so many years of being together, it would have driven her insane. So, Sakura knew there was no negativity between the pair and she bit back a smile at the sight of the fleeting pride that shone in his eyes. Kurotsuchi must have seen it too, as she suddenly grinned brightly at him, sticking her tongue out.

The sound of her phone beeping loudly had Kurotsuchi cursing and digging into her purse, ending the alarm with another curse. "Sorry, guys. I'm due to start a photo shoot in about an hour. I had to-" She cut herself off like something had only just occurred to her and she huffed, muttering, "I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Would you both like to join me, if the models are okay with you watching them? That way you can get a feel of what to expect on the day. We can have you sized up for your outfits as well, to save an extra trip."

That seemed like a good idea to her, Sakura thought and looked to Itachi, smiling encouragingly when he looked back. There was a question in his eyes and in response, she shrugged. She didn't mind tagging along if the models were okay with it – it was a learning experience. It could even help them make a final decision on whether they were truly up to modelling for Kurotsuchi.

"Let me go call them," she said while standing, already dialling a number. "I shouldn't be too long."

Once she was out of earshot, Deidara smirked, asking, "Overwhelmed yet?"

"You exaggerate too much," Sakura argued and smiled. "Kurotsuchi-san isn't half as bad as you make her out to be."

"Nii?"

The blond rolled his eyes and sat back, nodding once to Itachi's question. "We're not actually related, but our grandparents were close friends and more often than not, they were the ones who took care of us." Before they could think of any kind of reply, he questioned while critically assessing them both, "Seriously. Are you up to this? You're stiff Uchiha Itachi and you couldn't stand the thought of Sasori drawing you."

Not that again, she inwardly whined and grimaced. "It's not that I couldn't stand the thought of it-"

"Sorry, no. Your boyfriend wouldn't be able to handle it." Blue eyes rolled again, followed closely by the folding of his arms. "Regardless of how nicely Kurotsuchi tries to word it, you're going to have people all over you, yeah. You're pretending to get married. You both know what that involves, right?"

Intimacy. Touching. "We know."

"And you're okay with pretending to be into each other?" he asked suspiciously. "What if she wants to capture the first kiss as husband and wife?"

"We haven't finished discussing what we are willing to do," answered Itachi, his reply simple, accompanied with a faint, half-hearted shrug. "Kurotsuchi-san seems to understand for the most part, however."

Deidara had a point, though. Sakura bit her lip worriedly and glanced in the direction of the window, watching as Kurotsuchi lowered her phone before lifting it to her ear once more, resuming conversation. While talking, she ran a hand through her hair and took a step back, making more room on the pavement for an elderly couple, smiling warmly at them.

No, there was nothing to worry about. "Kurotsuchi-san said she has other ideas for us, if we're not comfortable with something. I know it's not ideal, but…" She shrugged helplessly. "We'd still be helping with part of the portfolio, right?"

Itachi nodded once in agreement, giving her a fleeting smile. "We will do our best to stick with her original plan, but I believe business involves compromise. Nothing goes as smoothly as one would hope."

"Bad news," came Kurotsuchi's disappointed, loud voice as she returned, not bothering to wait until she was at the table. Placing her phone down, she sat with a sigh, telling them, "Due to the nature of today's photo shoot, the models have asked for a closed set and I need to respect that decision. _However_," she stressed when Sakura couldn't help but pout. "Tomorrow, I have a couple of dancers coming in for a shoot and they're more than happy to have you join. They're newbies, too."

Tomorrow? "I'm pretty sure I'm free," she said and met Itachi's eye. "Are you?"

"I can arrange working from home as long as it does not become a regular occurrence."

"Great," Kurotsuchi gushed with a grin, standing and swinging her bag over her shoulder. It was silently that Deidara followed her example. "I'll send you the details later, but right now I really need to get moving. It was good meeting you both."

"We're looking forward to working with you."


	10. Don't Let Me Go

**Chapter 10**

**Don't Let Me Go**

* * *

_I miss you too._

Was it possible for her heart to implode?

Spinning on her heel, Sakura fell backwards onto her bed, lips splitting into a wide grin as she read the message once more. It'd come as a surprise – completely out of the blue, since she hadn't messaged him first. However, she also knew that it was his response to earlier that day. Possibly his way of trying to reassure her that they were going to work on things.

_How did the meeting go?_

The response came swiftly.

_Well. Father suggested I attend the second meeting with him. And yours?_

Her smile returned, heart once more stuttering happily for the development. Sasuke truly deserved to finally be recognised. The only issue she really had with it all was how long it'd taken for him to gain that recognition. Fugaku should have already known that he could rely on Sasuke. How hard had he worked? How much shit did he put up with?

_That's great! Our meeting went well too, I think. We're watching a photo shoot tomorrow to get a feel of things._

It was the most they'd spoken in weeks. She wasn't even upset with herself for staying up so late, despite the fact she would be waking for her run in less than three hours. How could she? They were finally talking. They were _communicating_. How long had it been since they asked one another about their day? Gods, that question made her think of an old married couple and it irked her that she thought that way. Why should they be any different? Healthy relationships needed communication to work.

They'd agreed to meet once she was done with the photo shoot, though Sakura was secretly hoping that Sasuke would cave and meet with her sooner. Clutching her phone to her chest once she'd sent her goodnight text, she smiled brightly again, heart feeling light for the first time in weeks. Crazy how one seemingly simple conversation could do that to a person, she thought and giggled to herself. It was like she'd become a love-struck preteen again, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

She turned onto her stomach and eyed the photograph on her nightstand, hope blooming defiantly in her chest. They would make it back to that – to being happy and carefree in their love for one another. Even if Sasuke never outwardly admitted to being in love with her, his actions earlier that day, along with the conversation they'd just had, proved to her that he did in fact love her. Sure, hearing it out loud would be nice, but she knew it wasn't in his character. She didn't want him pretending to be someone he wasn't. She'd known exactly what she was getting herself into when falling in love with him.

Sleeping was difficult, but she'd never felt better as she woke for her run only a handful of hours later. Earphones in and muscles warmed up, Sakura set off at a relaxed pace, unable to wipe the smile from her face for longer than a few seconds at a time, no matter how many times she warned herself she was going to look like a psychopath. The music playing matched her mood: upbeat and cheerful and soon enough, her strides adjusted to each song, matching the tempo.

"_Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted. Don't come searching when I go missing. Close your eyes or just try to look away! Don't want to hurt you–"_

Was it the running or the phone call that caused her heart to leap into her throat? Coming to a halt, Sakura fell back against a tree, trying to catch her breath as she quickly answered the call, only to frown at her own eagerness when she found that it wasn't who she'd been hoping it to be.

"_Good morning, Sakura-san."_

"Morning, Itachi-san," she greeted, finally catching her breath. Her frown returned as she noticed she wasn't _that_ disappointed about it being him instead of Sasuke. "Is something wrong?"

There was a faint hum of amusement and after a few moments, she heard a woman speaking in the background. An uncomfortably familiar woman. "_It seems you have forgotten our plans,"_ came his light reply. "_I am about to join your parents for breakfast."_

Oh no. Wide, horrified eyes glanced at the time, widening further at the fact she was late. "I'm so sorry." Already, Sakura was setting off at a brisk jog. "Are they annoying you?"

"_Not at all,"_ he said honestly. "_They are very welcoming."_

Surely that was code for of course they're annoying me, please send help immediately or better yet, get home and save me. Sakura knew her parents well enough to know they possessed the ability to drive saints insane – even Itachi's seemingly never ending patience would be at risk if he was around them long enough. She couldn't have that happen when they were spending the entire day together, could she? After all, Sakura knew she could be equally annoying. She needed his patience to last as long as possible.

"I'll be back soon," she promised.

There was a conversation in the background, followed by, "_Your mother would like to know if you are joining us for breakfast?"_

Was she right to feel like it was weird having Itachi join her family for breakfast? "Yeah, sure. I'll be there soon."

Fortunately for her, she'd been so hyped up about Sasuke suddenly seeking out a conversation that she drove to her usual running spot. Normally, she ran there, ran a few laps, then ran home again. It was a tiring workout, but certainly rewarding. Already, she could manage the whole session on top of extra laps and her skin looked amazing, grateful for the exercise.

It'd been twenty minutes since his phone call when Sakura returned home, apologising profusely until she came to an abrupt halt in the doorway to the dining room, frowning at the sight of the apparently enjoyable breakfast. She'd interrupted a conversation between her father and Itachi, the latter greeting her with a small smile. Weirdly enough, it wasn't a "dear Gods, save me" kind of smile. It was the exact opposite.

"Go and clean up," her mother ordered cheerfully, shooing her from the room, the smile on her face making Sakura's frown deepen further. "I won't have you stinking the place out." Once they were out of earshot, she whispered, "Itachi-san's certainly grown into a fine man, hasn't he?"

"Mom!" came Sakura's horrified hiss.

"Oh, don't be so uptight," she replied with a giggle.

How shameful, was what she wanted to respond with. Instead, Sakura disappeared before her mother could say anything else that could potentially scar her for life and force her to see Itachi in a new light, washing rigorously like that alone would banish the perverted excitement she'd seen in her mother's eyes from her mind. Honestly! The woman had been married almost twenty freaking years. She wouldn't dream of disrespecting Sasuke by shamelessly ogling another man, especially not in front of his children.

Marriage. With Sasuke. Children. With Sasuke.

The blush on her face raged proudly, she saw in the mirror, green eyes growing wide at the thought that ran through her mind. Of course, she'd thought about the future with Sasuke many times before, but… Well, they were close to the settling down age, weren't they? The age old people would drone on and on about, saying things like, "When I was your age, I was married, had two kids and owned my own home."

Pushing away the childish thoughts, Sakura turned towards her bedroom, though couldn't deny she was distracted during the tasks of dressing and applying her makeup. By the time she returned to the dining area, everyone else had already started eating, too hungry to bother waiting any longer. It was only fair – she'd taken too long.

"You certainly took your time," her mother chastised. Cutting her pancakes up delicately, she shut her eyes, adding haughtily, "It's rude when we have a guest. You know that."

With her eyes closed, Sakura rolled hers and sat beside Itachi, inwardly smiling when she noticed his struggle with the toppings. Once conversation resumed between her parents, she leaned closer, asking, "Have you ever had pancakes before, Itachi-san?"

"No," came his equally quiet reply. "Any suggestions?"

"Well, you could always go with the traditional toppings like my parents – either syrup or fruit – or you could go down the same healthy route as me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Chocolate." She grinned and grabbed the jug, pouring the melted chocolate onto her pile of pancakes. "Sometimes with fruit. Sometimes without."

"Healthy." His words were dripping with sarcasm and when she looked back to him, she saw a teasing smirk.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" asked her mother. No doubt she'd noticed their hushed conversation and wanted to know all the details – no matter how minuscule they were. "Anything exciting?"

Anything scandalous, was what she really wanted to ask. Swallowing her mouthful of a chocolate smothered pancake, she barely restrained herself from narrowing her eyes. Mouthing off to her mother was just plain rude. To do so in front of a guest was even worse. Not only would she be ripped a new one from her mother, but her father would get involved, also. Only the Gods knew how wound up he had to be to finally get involved.

"Itachi-san recently graduated from university, so I asked him to give me a few life hacks," she said at length, ignoring Itachi when he glanced her way. Fortunately for her, he hid his confusion well. With a shrug, Sakura added, "And there's the added bonus that he studied abroad, too. He might be able to help me finally make my decision."

Obviously intrigued, her father perked up and grinned. "That's great. You've been agonising over this decision for over a year now, Sakura. You need to make your choice soon."

"Don't lecture her, Kizashi," warned Mebuki with a firm tone that was tinged with annoyance. "It's not an easy decision."

"I know it's not, but all she's been doing is making lists about the pros and cons of staying or going – it's gotten her nowhere." His fork was overloaded with pancake and fruit, however Sakura knew he wouldn't struggle to fit it all in his mouth. He'd perfected the technique before she was even born. "Maybe with Itachi-san's experience, it'll help her clear her head." Oh, great. He was back to the lecture, she realised when he glanced in her direction once more. "You can't put your life on hold for friends, Sakura. It's stupid."

"On the contrary, Haruno-san," Itachi interjected smoothly. "Sakura-san's loyalty and love for her friends could strengthen her resolve, should she find herself struggling with her degree. Say there is an emergency, of some sort. A dear friend of hers is in need of medical assistance, or they could die. Sakura-san would know how to act."

_Thank you,_ she wanted to say. That was the point she always tried to make. What if she was studying abroad and lost her passion? What if she forgot why she wanted to become a doctor because of how hard it was? Having her friends around would be a huge motivator. But…

"They would also distract her," her father argued, like he always did. Another humongous mouthful and he carried on, saying, "No offence to your brother or family, Itachi-san, but Sakura's mindset is always Sasuke-kun this, and Sasuke-kun that. Distance would serve her well. Help her grow more independence."

"I don't disagree with you there," replied Itachi, both stunning and aggravating her. "She must gain independence in order to maintain a successful career as a doctor."

"Not only that, but she needs to be more level-headed too."

What happened to defending her? Bastard. Gritting her teeth, she cut into her pancakes with unnecessary force, pretending to ignore the two supposedly omniscient men. Opposite her, she noticed her mother eyeing her sceptically, if not warily and she replied to said look with a strained smile. The lie wasn't bought and Mebuki frowned.

"Now, now," Mebuki finally said, interrupting the conversation. "This decision is Sakura's to make. If she decides to study away from home, then I will support that decision and admire her bravery. If she studies in Konoha, then I will be happy because my only child is still here with me."

_Thank you, Mom,_ she cheered. Her involvement in the conversation had the two men growing silent, nodding once in agreement. It wasn't until that moment that Itachi seemed to realise he was _supposed_ to be defending her and he met her eye, offering a small, apologetic smile. Her reply was to mutter traitor under her breath.

But instead of being angry with his response, why did it make her stomach twist when he gave a low chuckle?

* * *

At some point during breakfast, they made the decision to go to the photo shoot in Itachi's car. It didn't matter to her – she relished the break. Driving was great and definitely better than being a slave to public transport, but after passing her test, Sakura felt as though all she ever did was drive. Friends – or supposed friends – who hadn't passed their tests would hint for lifts and like the idiot she was, Sakura would go out of her way to appease them.

"Have you forgiven me?"

Oh, that smile was… frustrating. "You know, I think in the short time we've been friends, you've apologised to me more than Sasuke-kun has in our entire relationship."

For a second, the smile faltered, but he regained composure as they approached his car. It would be the first time she'd ever been in his car, Sakura realised the moment she saw it, her jaw threatening to drop. The Bentley insignia stood out proudly in contrast to the smoky grey body, its sleek design telling her without words how much it more than likely cost. She was betting it was in the six, if not seven digits. However, she wouldn't pretend to know about cars. She knew her own, she somewhat knew Sasuke's and that was about it. All she _did_ know, was that Bentleys were not cheap. And from what she'd heard about them, they were worth every penny.

"That is because I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. If Sasuke was to apologise for every mistake he made, he-"

"Sasuke-kun isn't afraid to admit when he's wrong, either," she argued hotly. "We've been talking-"

"But has he apologised?"

"In his own way-"

"Sakura-san."

She sighed and stopped at the passenger side of the car, offering him a withering glare over the roof. "No. He hasn't."

"And still you stay."

Where was this attack coming from? "What are you trying to say, Itachi-san?"

There was no immediate answer. Instead, Itachi slid into his car, appearing as graceful as ever and it was with a groan that Sakura followed his example. The interior was sleek and beautiful and she was suddenly self-conscious about any dirt she may have carried in with her. Unlike her own car, which was cluttered with spare shoes or jackets, air fresheners and a wide variety of CDs, Itachi's was spotless. The freshness of the seats, the sheen of the dashboard and the overall cleanliness of the car informed her that he'd recently had it valeted.

Also unlike her own car, no music played when the engine started – only a news station filled their uncomfortable silence, telling them of the difficulties of the world, adding to the discomfort when it reported the brutal assault on a young man on the outskirts of Konoha. Without pause Itachi switched the station, turning the volume down so that the music became mere background noise.

"The choice you must make will shape your entire future," he began. Before continuing (for she knew he wasn't anywhere near done lecturing her), Itachi fastened his seat belt, glancing towards her own and remaining silent until she sighed and buckled herself in. It was only then that he continued, saying, "Yet you hesitate because of your feelings for my brother."

"And my friends-"

"You are lying to yourself."

Where was her usual anger at his accusations? Well, not accusations. The truth. Would she stay in Konoha for Ino? No. Would she stay for Naruto? No, but she would ache inside, would probably cry endlessly, while saying goodbye to him. She wasn't even entirely sure that she would stay for her parents. But Sasuke… Gods, why was it so different when it came to him?

They remained stationary, locked in their stalemate. Was he trying to give her time to think? To realise her faults? She already knew how pathetic her way of thinking was. Putting aside everything for the sake of her boyfriend – someone who never apologised despite being in the wrong, someone who never told her she was beautiful, never said that he loved her too – was pathetic. But what could she say?

"Have you ever been in love, Itachi-san?" she asked him quietly, tilting her head to the side to meet his gaze. "So helplessly and frustratingly in love with someone?" The breaking of their eye contact was all she needed to know and Sakura's lips twitched, almost smiling. "I don't stick around because I like feeling this way. I stay with Sasuke-kun because I know deep down he loves me too."

Dark eyes flew open. "He hasn't even told you-"

"That doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does." There was a firmness in his expression, his lips turning down at the corners, eyebrows knitting together. "If _this_ – if your relationship with my brother is what you consider to be love, then forgive me, but I am glad I have not experienced it for myself."

His words hurt, there was no denying that, but she remained strong, never once looking away from him as she replied, "That's why you can't possibly understand. Love is irrational. You'll repeatedly give your all for the one you love, even if they only give a quarter of themselves back."

Pulling the gear stick into reverse, Itachi muttered, "My brother does not deserve you."

Sakura was unable to look away as he turned in his seat, placing his arm behind her seat while he focused on reversing out of her drive. It didn't matter to her that his expression was far from approachable, that the tension in his muscles screamed his displeasure at the situation. In that moment, she…

The spell broke the moment he faced forward and Sakura swallowed hard, thankful that she was finally free. Her mind screamed to know what the hell that was about, how his words and the raw power she could feel in the air around them could disarm her in such a… pitiful way, could make every rational thought come to a screeching halt. But there was no answer.

What the hell was happening?

* * *

"From the top," Kurotsuchi ordered and folded her arms over her chest, assessing them proudly. "I think you guys have given me more inspiration."

They circled one another with dragging feet, arms draped around their waists to keep their bodies close, eyes drifting shut when their foreheads touched, noses bumping lightly, giving her an overwhelming sense of longing.

While watching their dance, she couldn't help but feel like an intruder. There was so much intimacy. So much trust and respect. The male dancer's hands skimmed across her skin, slowly lowering her to the ground, their bodies grazing, noses brushing, lips almost touching. _But_ it was their expressions that entranced her and Sakura found herself holding her breath, admiring the raw emotion. Were they acting? Did they really love each other? Who knew?

She was on the edge of her seat, admiring the dancers with wide eyes. It was easy tuning Kurotsuchi out as the dark haired woman snapped away, her camera lighting the darkened room with its powerful flashes. The scenery was dark, the floor sinking somewhat and filled with a couple of inches of water – it came from the sprinklers above them, designed in such a way that it gave the illusion of being rain. It was simple, yet elegant. The main focus was their love story – their dance sharing their feelings with the world.

How it was possible for Kurotsuchi to move so fast when the female dancer was lowered to the ground, fingertips sprinkling water on herself and her partner when her arm splashed it upwards, Sakura would never know. She didn't really care.

"You will fall out of your seat."

She didn't care. "Do you think we'll look like that?"

Sitting back in his seat, Itachi surveyed the dancers critically before saying, "Depending on what is required of us, it is entirely possible."

Green eyes met dark and her heart warmed when she noticed Itachi seemed to be in awe of the dancers, too. She smiled at him, brushing her hair behind her ear in an almost shy gesture. They really were spectacular, but she wished he'd drop the expression when looking _her_ way. People would get the wrong impression.

"I think we can do it," Sakura told him.

"_You missed a beat!"_ came the angered voice of the dance teacher, startling her. "_Start again!"_

There was a collective groan throughout the room and she spotted a vein throbbing in Kurotsuchi's forehead, but the woman was silent, retaining an air of professionalism despite the rage they could all sense. Sakura had to hand it to her. She would've lost her shit – was close to it, in fact. That idiot teacher shattered the beautiful vision, breaking the enchantment the dancers had on her.

_"I'm watching myself, drifting away. A vision so darkened. I cannot stay."_

The dancers started their routine from the beginning, returning to their intimate circling of one another.

_"I'm reaching out wide, trying to catch myself before I fall. Too little too late. Can you save me?"_

His hands returned to her body, never quite touching as they instead skimmed over her skin, leaving her yearning for more as she leaned in closer.

_"Where do we go when we walk on light? Who do we call at the edge of night? Carry me close like the tear drops in your eyes."_

Their foreheads touched, fingers entwining, lips grazing, all the while the circling continued, growing slower and slower, once more leaving Sakura on the edge of her seat.

"_Don't let me go! Hold me in your beating heart."_

The movements suddenly grew strong as the woman was lifted from the ground, her body contorting around the man's as they spun together. Smoothly, she was lowered to the ground, their chests brushing together as long arms dangled behind her, fingertips touching the water in a teasing gesture.

_"I won't let go! Forever is not enough."_

Her thigh came up over his hip, the water she'd been toying with splashing through the air, covering their already soaked bodies and once more, she was leaned back, but was followed closely by his, their bodies pressed together.

_"Let me lay my head down on the shadow by your side."_

"Uchiha-san, Haruno-san? Would you care to follow me? We would like to get your measurements for your outfits."

Damn it, the illusion was shattered again, frustrating her. However, she could not argue. It was clear from the serious expression on Kurotsuchi's face that she had her work cut out for her. Going with the costume designer would take one less stress from her list. So, without another thought, Sakura stood and followed the designer with Itachi only a second behind her, secretly hoping they could watch the whole routine without any interruptions later.

_"Don't let me go!"_

* * *

Gods, it was beautiful.

The designer had decided she would go first, for her dress would take longer than Itachi's tuxedo. Stepping closer to the mirror, she turned to the side, admiring the design of the lace and bodice when the door to their small dressing room reopened. Via the reflection, she saw Itachi cautiously enter and she presumed he paused, hesitated, just in case she was indecent.

"Is this okay?" she asked unsurely while looking into the mirror once more, frowning at the fit of the dress. Whenever she thought of wedding dresses, she thought of traditional dresses. With the whole puffed out skirt and the corset back and… The one she was wearing was a complete opposite. It was form fitting, accentuating everything and truth be told, it wasn't bad. She felt oddly confident in the dress.

"You look beautiful."

She quickly met Itachi's gaze, lips parting in shock. Had he truly meant that? That she was beautiful? Was she? The look on his face told her he was being serious, but… Shit. _Shit. _Lowering her gaze, she tried her best to calm her twisting stomach, wondering just what in the hell was going on with her.

"What is it?" he asked, shutting the door behind himself, giving them more privacy. She was guessing that, since the costume designer didn't join him, she was done with them for the time being. For that, Sakura was both grateful and wary.

How pathetic would it be to admit nobody had ever called her beautiful before? She turned slowly, facing him, _really_ seeing him. It wasn't until that moment that she noticed his tuxedo, noticed how it fit his body, accentuating his muscled chest and arms. Even when he was in his swimming trunks, she'd never really taken that much notice in his physique. Now, however, she felt as though she could appreciate the way he looked. As soon as that thought popped into her mind, though, the twisting of her stomach increased and her tongue felt thick. Was it guilt for admiring him? Her boyfriend's brother?

"I…"

When words failed her, realisation had Itachi sighing, an expression she couldn't fully understand flitting over his face. Then, he repeated his words from earlier, telling her, "My brother truly doesn't deserve you."

Maybe not, but…

She loved him.

Repeating that to herself, Sakura turned towards the mirror again, assessing her outfit. All of the awe towards it had vanished and while she certainly still felt confident wearing such a beautiful gown, she felt that the thick tension in the air destroyed the moment. It ripped away all thoughts from earlier that day, of her marrying Sasuke and having his children. Twisting and leaning down, she pulled on the train, watching it trail along the wooden flooring. The lace really was stunning, the intricate detail something to marvel at.

"Sakura-san?"

Comparing the two brothers was so, so wrong, but telling herself that didn't matter because she still continued to do it. She still wished Sasuke would call her beautiful. She wished he would spend time with her family, even doing something as mundane as eating breakfast together. She wished he could hold conversations with her parents as comfortably as Itachi had, instead of seeming uncomfortable and tense, instead of doing it _just_ to fill the silence or pass the time while waiting for her. She wanted him to _fit there_ like Itachi had.

It was so stupid, she mentally screamed at herself when her head fell into her hands, trying and failing to cover her horrific crying face. The tears came out of nowhere, surprising Itachi and she sensed him faltering by the door, no doubt wondering what the hell set her off this time. Oh, it was a never ending list. It really was. Was it the compliment? Was it that it came from the wrong brother? Was it wishing Sasuke to be different? Was it knowing deep down he would never do any of the things Itachi had that day? Or was it something else entirely? Was it the guilt burning in her belly? Was it that she _liked_ Itachi complimenting her? Was it her no longer seeing visions of herself marrying Sasuke? _What was it?_

"Please, don't cry," he quietly pleaded and she heard him stepping forward, felt him hesitating. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's not that," she whined pitifully into her hands, the words muffled.

"It's not?"

She shook her head, but then shrugged. "I don't think it is."

There was a sigh and it startled her how much closer it sounded, making her chest constrict when she quickly looked up, meeting Itachi's saddened gaze. He was so close, with less than a foot between them, leaving her instincts to yell at her that he was far too close. Closer than a boyfriend's brother should be. What did she do? Did she take a step back? Why was she even questioning what she should do? Of course she should step back! They needed more space. Distance. Damn it, why wasn't she moving?

"Why can't you see that you deserve better?" Itachi asked, voice quiet. It struck her that it sounded more like he was talking to himself rather than her, his brow furrowing like he was in deep thought. "As much as I love my brother, Sakura-san, your relationship is toxic. How can you possibly be happy with someone who doesn't even tell you how beautiful you are?" Her heart leapt into her throat, the tears in her wide eyes freezing. "He won't even tell you that he loves you."

"Itachi-san, this-"

"Despite it all, you continue to defend him. I think that may be the most frustrating part of all." And she could see how frustrating it was, because Itachi seemed genuinely annoyed with her, even if it was only for a fraction of a second. "You…"

It must have been her tears restarting that made him move, his uncertainty painfully obvious in the way his arms came around her, hands faltering before pressing to her back comfortingly. He was much too tall for her to reach his shoulder, so instead her face was buried in his chest, the smell of the new tuxedo strong. That thought didn't last long, however, when her senses quickly became overwhelmed by the feeling of his hands on her bare back, the design of the dress leaving it on show. It took her breath away, eyes growing impossibly wide. If she pulled away, her cheeks would be bright red, telling him that his touch had an effect on her.

"If you can't bring yourself to leave him, despite how toxic the relationship is, then please, know that you can confide in me," he murmured, chin coming to rest on the top of her head. It didn't seem to matter to him that her arms were lax between them. "Do not bottle it up."

A swift knock on the door had her heart stuttering and she pulled away as it opened, though her attempt to hide the tender moment was pointless. Her red cheeks, teary eyes and their close proximity gave everything away. If anything, her pulling away so fast made it seem worse than what it was. It made it appear as though they had something to hide, when in actuality, all it was, was Itachi comforting her.

Deidara faltered, eyeing them knowingly before tipping his chin towards the corridor behind him. "The old woman wants you out there for more measurements."

She couldn't look at Itachi as she left the room, didn't want to know whether he was watching her while she was leaving. It didn't matter if he was. Him hugging her was… It was improper. Absolutely inappropriate. It shouldn't have happened and it wouldn't happen again. While her family wasn't as traditional as others, she knew Sasuke's was and for Itachi to hug her like that… Gods, what was he thinking? What was _she_ thinking? Why hadn't she pushed him away? Why did she soak up his compliments and attention instead of telling him how wrong it was? Why was she still thinking about how it felt to have his skin on hers?

What was happening?


	11. It's All Gone Wrong

**Chapter 11**

**It's All Gone Wrong**

* * *

Holding onto her virginity was probably the cause behind her getting so wound up over Itachi's innocent touch, wasn't it? Ino would've laughed at her reaction. It wasn't like he molested her – he was _comforting_ her the same way any of her girl friends would have.

Why had she and Sasuke held off on doing anything sexual? Part of her hadn't wanted to do it, in all honesty. Sure, she was interested in kissing him and she definitely found him attractive, but sex? At thirteen? At fifteen? Maybe she was more traditional than she'd originally thought, or maybe Ino was right in calling her a prude? Sasuke never seemed to mind too much, but then again, he was from a traditional family. Abstinence was expected of him and his family trusted his restraint greatly – the fact she was allowed to stay over proved that. He would hate to break their trust.

They abstained from the things others of their generation did carelessly partly because they wanted to respect the trust given to them, but mainly because they just didn't want sex. Not at the time, anyway. Now they were older, they knew what they wanted. They were sure about their relationship. Kind of.

The bottom line was that they learned many things over the years. Had they been having sex when they first got together, they wouldn't have known what the hell they were doing. They knew nothing of contraception or other forms of safety. _Emotionally_ they weren't ready for that humongous step. Sakura understood perfectly that others didn't see it as much as a step as they did a shift of their foot, but to her, it was everything. She wasn't like her friends. She didn't drop her underwear as soon as she entered a relationship.

Stepping out of her changing cubicle, Sakura did a spin for the designer. She was watching her closely, tapping her lips in deep thought before asking her to squat, then lunge.

"You can move easily enough," she said, though still continued to frown.

"Is something wrong?"

"It looks tight." Walking towards her, she waited for permission before reaching out, tugging on the sports bra. Sakura looked to the ceiling, embarrassed when she felt her body attempting to jiggle in response – would have, but it was all strapped down too firmly. "How does it feel?"

"It _is_ tighter than my usual sports clothing," admitted Sakura and she glanced downwards. "But it's also a design I'd never usually wear myself."

The woman hummed and stepped back again, once more assessing her critically. It was difficult holding back old insecurities, wondering if it was _her_ body that was making it impossible. Was she too fat for the outfit? Even though Sakura _knew_ she wasn't fat, and knew her working out kept the extra pounds at bay, it was still disheartening not being able to fit properly in an outfit _her size._

"Don't get me wrong, you look good," the designer told her. Gods, were her emotions really that easy to read? The older woman was in deep thought again, her hands fidgeting with the tape measure. "I'm simply worried that you may start aching – your breasts look very constricted."

Nope, that would be her ordinary flat chest. Holding back that remark, Sakura quickly ran through several warm up exercises, repeatedly testing the waters with both her sports bra and the high waisted pants. She felt comfortable enough and she was definitely going to avoid slipping out of her outfit during the photo shoot, which was a major bonus.

"As long as Kurotsuchi-san likes it, I guess that's all we can ask for," Sakura told her with a smile and a shrug.

"Maybe, but I'll order the sports bra in the next size up just in case. I need to put an order in anyway." Walking towards her clipboard, she jotted down the note to herself. "Don't take this the wrong way, Haruno-san, but you're growing into a woman now – your body is still developing and will change a lot throughout your life. Your breasts happen to make your top half a size bigger than your bottom half in terms of sports gear, bikinis and the such. Does that make sense to you?"

Kind of, she guessed. But the bikini she'd purchased not too long ago fit her perfectly. Or… did it? Was the push up effect enhanced by the fact it was too small for her? Oh Gods, had people noticed it was too small for her? She would have to go though the pictures again to see if it was.

"Send Uchiha-san in for me, please."

Oh, so she was being sent away. Refraining from pulling a face at the flippant way she was dismissed, Sakura took a deep breath, braving herself for the return to the changing room.

The minute walk was agonising, her palms sweating as she tried to remind herself the hug was normal. It was one friend comforting another. But the fact that she had to tell herself that, meant it was anything but normal, right? In her eyes it did.

He was seated by the table when she returned, her dainty knock belying her easy smile. Clearly, the healthy way to move on from what had happened, was to ignore the guilt in her stomach. If she ignored it, it would eventually go away and cease to be a problem, wouldn't it?

"That is…" He blinked in surprise, lowering his phone. "Quite the change."

Yeah, she supposed it was. While the dress had been anything but conservative, it certainly covered a lot more than her current outfit. The fancy spaghetti straps of her sports bra (she counted eight in total, all crisscrossing) worried her, especially if they were doing the photo shoot outside, for she would end up with the worst tan lines. The yoga pants were high waisted and three quarter length, tucking and flattening where necessary (emphasising the flare of her hips) and she'd noticed that, while walking back to the dressing room, that they didn't slip down while walking – a good sign, for the cheap workout pants always did.

"I guess it's safe to say we'll be doing some kind of workout for one of the photo shoots," she said with a shrug. "Do you think there'll be more?"

"This may be the backup plan." Standing, he added, "I take it the designer would like to see me again."

Her cheeks burned. "Yeah, sorry."

Fortunately for her, he left with a mere nod, leaving her alone to her thoughts. Sighing, she approached the mirror, assessing the outfit for herself. Her breasts didn't look bad at all, she decided. The designer wasn't wrong, but they didn't look bad either. The sports bra kept them in place rather well, if you asked her and was doing its job better than could be expected of a flimsy, strappy bra. It wasn't something she would've chosen for herself, given the fact it _did_ look so flimsy, however she knew someone like Ino would snatch it up in a heartbeat.

"_Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted. Don't come–"_

She all but pounced on her bag, quickly finding her phone and answering the call with a breathless, "Hello?"

A pause. "_Are you okay?"_

The earlier blush on her cheeks raged and Sakura sat down, biting her lip to try and contain her excitement. "Yeah, I'm fine, Sasuke-kun. My phone was across the room," she lied. Telling him how excited she was about talking to him was out of the question – he'd think she was desperate. "What's up?"

"_Do you want to meet up tonight? When you're back?"_

Even she knew her smile was ridiculous, but as Sakura caught sight of her expression in the mirror, she found that she loved it anyway. There was a glow to her complexion, her smile beaming and creasing her eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what time I'll be home. It shouldn't be too long, though. Itachi-san thinks we're being measured for the last outfit now." Smile simmering, she told him, "You should have seen the dancers doing their photo shoot, Sasuke-kun. They were so elegant."

"_Are you enjoying it?"_

"Definitely," came her easy reply. "I don't think this is where we'll be doing our photo shoot, though." There was a hum, followed by a familiar clicking sound and she frowned. "Sasuke-kun, you're not driving, are you?"

"_Handsfree-"_

"Sasuke-kun!" she scolded. "That's just as dangerous-"

"_Stop yelling,"_ Sasuke muttered with clear frustration. "_I wanted to talk to you."_

Even though her heart melted, she stuck to her guns, saying, "And I don't want you to crash and die, so I'm going to hang up now. I'll have Itachi-san take me to your place instead of home, if that's okay?"

"_Sure. I have no other plans."_

"Okay." There was another pause and she smiled hopefully, telling him, "I love you."

"_See you."_

Her heart sunk at his response and she slouched in the chair, biting her lip once more to try and hold back the emotions. Since when had the response to 'I love you' been a goodbye? Was that really what he thought she meant when she told him she loved him? That she was saying goodbye? Was he an idiot? No, she didn't want to force the sentiment from him, because if he didn't mean it, it would crush her. She simply… wanted more affection. Not just physical affection, she wanted emotional affection, too.

The whole sex thing, she understood. She got it. He didn't want to disappoint his parents or break their rules and, if they didn't have sex _at_ the Uchiha Manor, then who knows where it'd be? She didn't want that of her first time – somewhere sleazy and possibly dirty. It had to be special.

Being so emotionally closed off, however, was entirely different. Nobody asked that of him, he merely–

He was copying his father, Sakura realised with dread. Itachi had warned her of it before, saying that their parents' relationship was the only relationship he really had to go off. Yes, there would have been relationships around the school, but more than once he'd shown disgust towards those who openly flaunted their love, cringing whenever he saw open displays of affection. He would never take notes from them – he was too much of a prude.

Looking down at her phone's lock screen, she frowned. At most, in front of others, they held hands or gave a peck on the cheek. Recently, they'd made out in front of others – kind of. They'd been swimming while the others were still on the beach and the moment hit them. _That_ was what she liked. Not kissing for the sake of kissing, but kissing when they _felt_ it.

The screen going black had her sighing and leaning back, hair flowing over the back of the chair. Her knees came up, feet resting on the edge of the hard plastic.

It was that pathetic position Itachi found her in and via the mirror, she saw his concern, his frown deepening at the sight of her phone.

"Did something happen?"

Her gaze drifted up to the ceiling and she sighed. "Sasuke-kun called."

"Oh?"

"He wants to meet tonight," she told him. There was a quiver deep in her chest and the tears threatened to start up again, but she remained strong. At least, she liked to believe she did. "I said 'I love you' and…"

As she had moments before, he sighed. "And he didn't say it back."

Gods, it sounded even worse when someone else said it and it damn near made her start crying again. Ugly crying, she meant. There was a sob building up its power, prepared and all too willing to take control of her. If it did, Sakura believed she would be crying for a while.

It didn't surprise her when Itachi made his way around the chair, bringing another so that he could sit in front of her, so that they could talk at eye level, rather than him seemingly talking down to her.

"What makes you so sure he does?"

The words cut deep, there was no denying that. And they cut so deep because in all honesty, she didn't know. Not truly. Telling herself the little things told her that he loved her was stupid, wasn't it? Saying he said one thing, while meaning another. That when he told her to do something, it was because he didn't want to see her hurt because he loved her.

"Because…" She shrugged pitifully. "We're still together and it's nearly been five years."

"That doesn't necessarily mean he is in love, Sakura-san," he told her with a sigh. There was a sad look in his eyes – or was it pity? "Couples remain in loveless relationships for a number of reasons-"

"Mainly because of children-"

"Or to protect their image."

"He wouldn't-"

There was no impatience or annoyance in his features or tone. He remained calm, serious. "You need to stop justifying his actions and guessing at his intentions. The truth is, we don't know what people are thinking. People are capable of looking you in the eye and lying through their teeth. The sooner you realise that, the better."

He was right. She knew he was. She simply wished that he wasn't.

"Did Sasuke say why he wishes to meet tonight?"

She shrugged, gaze returning to her phone. "No, but I'm guessing just to spend time together. We've gone from spending every day together to hardly even talking."

"You think he misses you?"

"You don't?"

Itachi sighed again and sat back in his seat, stretching out comfortably. "Despite my believing you deserve better, Sakura-san, I don't think my brother is completely heartless. Of course, he misses you. I see it in his face every day."

It was pathetic how her heart skipped at his admission. "You do?"

"However," he added more sternly, frowning at her, "I do think you are both on a dark path."

What in the hell was that supposed to mean? "What?"

"If things continue as they are, you will both be extremely unhappy, stuck in a loveless, emotionally abusive marriage." Just as she went to argue, outraged, he cut her off swiftly, telling her, "Do not argue with me, Sakura-san. I know the signs."

"How-"

Oh, she was getting tired of him cutting her off. "How?" he repeated, expression showing vague disbelief. "Have you met my parents, Sakura-san? Do you understand how much Sasuke idolises our father?"

Okay, but… "He idolises you, too."

"But I was gone for years, for most of your relationship. He would have had no one but our parents to look to for an example. Tell me, do you think their relationship is healthy?"

Sakura thought back to the way Mikoto tiptoed around her husband, wary of angering him or worsening his never ending bad moods. She was the perfect wife. Never answering back or talking out of place, having meals on the table at the same time every day, answering his every beck and call. It certainly wasn't a perfect marriage, but–

Green eyes went wide as Sakura realised she'd been about to _defend_ Fugaku's bullying. How in the hell was her mind wired? Why was it okay for him to terrorise his wife, but absolutely despicable for him to bully his son? Why was it so different? Why did that seem normal to her? Was it because that was steadily what they'd been progressing to?

"I…" The words died on her tongue as her emotions almost overwhelmed her. "How do I prevent that without leaving him?"

There was a tense moment of silence before he murmured, "Personally, I would like to see my mother stand up for herself." His shoulders were stiff, muscles growing rigid. "It is one thing for her to cower before her husband when he is unpleasant towards her, but it is an entirely different matter when his short temper and abrasive personality tears down her children and their significant others."

He was talking about the night that pushed Sasuke too far, wasn't he? Her body language quickly copied his, her muscles tensing. Was his stomach twisting similarly to hers? Could he feel the uneasiness of where their conversation was heading? Gods, she hoped he didn't pry. She hoped he avoided _that night_ – she did. Going back to it and recalling the fear that had not only swept through her, but confused the hell out of her too, was something she didn't want to do. So, she decided to ignore it on the guise that she was being forgiving. It happened. They couldn't change the past. It was best to move on from it.

"I have witnessed my father strike my mother on three separate occasions and each time, Mother blamed herself," came his quiet admittance and Sakura was horrified to see the great shame in his eyes. Why would he blame himself for his father's actions? "Sasuke, on the other hand, has possibly seen it more often." Once more, their eyes met and she knew – oh, she just _knew_ – that he could see through her ignorance. "Witnessing Sasuke behave in the same manner, followed by your own tendency to blame yourself, is… too much. The similarities are too much."

"I…" What could she possibly say to that?

His gaze was intense and knowing, although it wasn't impossible to see through her lies. When she passed it off as nothing major, just the heat of the moment, it wasn't said convincingly enough. Others didn't know the specifics of what happened – all they knew was that it was an argument. Itachi saw too much, however. He saw Sasuke shove her.

"What else happened, Sakura-san?"

Maybe her sports bra _was_ too tight, because her chest was suddenly killing her, like it was being squeezed tighter and tighter. "I…" She swallowed hard, trying and failing to ignore the memories assaulting her, reminding her of Sasuke's forceful hands on her body, of his knee prying her thighs apart. "It was nothing."

But he was disbelieving. Rightly so. "Did he hurt you before I walked in?"

_Stop digging,_ she mentally begged. "No."

"Then what happened? How did it escalate to him hurting you?"

"I pushed him into-"

"Do not blame yourself."

It was getting too hot for her. "I'm not. He needed space and I kept pushing him and pushing him until he couldn't take it anymore."

"Why were you pushing him?"

"Because he thought the best thing was to break up with me after-" Realisation had her falling silent, breathing in a sharp intake of breath and eyes going wide, lips pursing. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"What did he do?"

Why did it matter so much to him? Why would he want to add to his guilt if he was already experiencing so much of it? "Leave it alone."

"I can't. None of it adds up," he replied simply, eyes narrowing fractionally. "Before that incident, you were both getting on well. You had learned to open up to one another."

Now he was just repeating her thoughts on it all. "Itachi-san, I-"

But he wouldn't leave it alone. "Why are you protecting him? What is so bad that you cannot tell me what happened?"

"It has nothing to do with you-"

"It does, Sakura-san. It is my fault why-"

"He forced himself on me!" she snapped at him, much to the horror of both herself and Itachi. He stared at her, features deadpanning (she believed his jaw would have gone slack, had he been the type to stare open-mouthed at someone). Weakly, she added, "You can't blame yourself for that."

The uneasiness he was feeling was obvious. "He…"

Shit, she shouldn't have said it. She should have continued to ignore his persistence, remaining silent on the whole matter. Admitting what had happened – saying it out loud – cut her deeply. Not only had it happened to _her_, but Sasuke was the one who did it. The boy she loved and always gave her all to.

And like they always did, her eyes welled up with tears. "He wasn't thinking clearly. He was upset-"

"Nothing will ever excuse this." The steeliness of his voice only made the tears fall faster. "What Sasuke did was unforgivable."

"Yet I'm willing to forgive him," she told him firmly, eyes hardening regardless of the tears. "As soon as Sasuke-kun realised what was happening, he stopped. He knew it was wrong."

Some of the tension in Itachi's shoulders relaxed. "He didn't…?"

"Rape me?" It felt disgusting even saying the words while talking about Sasuke. Thinking of her boyfriend violating her in such a way, harming her so brutally, had her hairs standing on end and stomach clenching painfully. "No. He would never do that."

He wanted to say something. She could tell from the look in his eye. But something was keeping him from doing so, forcing him to hold his tongue. Whatever it was, she was grateful towards it, because she was done with the conversation. Seeing that look on his face…

"I want to leave," she informed him and stood, already heading to the door before he could copy. "Kurotsuchi-san will have our exact measurements now – there's no reason for us to stay."

"Sakura-san, my brother-"

Whirling around, she glared at him, snapping, "Made a mistake. _Don't_ be like the rest of your family and climb on his back, too."

Her words silenced him and sensing her victory, she left the room, intent on changing back into her clothes so that she could leave.

* * *

"Would you like to listen to music?"

"No, thanks."

The tension was still there between them, suffocating her. Deciphering what the main cause of the tension was impossible, but she knew it was about Sasuke, too. Keeping her mouth shut would have been better, however, she couldn't do that when Itachi was blaming himself for his brother's actions. There was the added bonus of it feeling oddly relieving having it off her chest, too. What would it mean for Sasuke, though? Would Itachi say anything to him? Bringing it up again to find out wasn't an option. Already, the tension was unbearable. She didn't plan on adding to it any time soon.

In her pocket, her phone vibrated, alerting her of a message, but for the first time in a while, she refrained from checking it immediately.

She'd betrayed Sasuke by telling Itachi about what had happened, knowing the reaction the whole situation would receive. All Sasuke ever wanted was to be acknowledged, respected and praised – she'd taken that from him. How would Itachi ever be able to respect him now? After what he'd done? Had it been anyone else – _anyone _– and she wouldn't think twice about cutting that person from her life entirely, or enacting vengeance, or reporting it or whatever response it usually evoked. But because it was Sasuke, she…

"I would like to discuss-"

"Please," she begged weakly, pitifully. "Just… leave it alone."

"He hurt you, Sakura-san," came his softly spoken retort. The previous firmness of his voice, the demand to know everything, was missing and it irked her. "How am I supposed to leave it alone?"

"Do you want to know what pushed him over the edge?"

"Do not make excuses-"

"They called him 'spineless'. Compared him to you and how you can stand up for yourself. You're not afraid to go against your father."

The grip on the steering wheel intensified, his knuckles turning white. "Meaning it is only natural to force yourself on another."

It was shocking to hear the sarcasm, but what was more shocking was the coldness of his words. The anger in his features as he glared out at the road. "Let me finish," she demanded, heart thundering away in her chest. Anger was an odd emotion to witness on Itachi. It brought forth a mixture of feelings that she couldn't identify or single out. "We only have a few rules at your home. The main one being the doors to bedrooms must be open at all times."

"A rule that is technically unbroken, given the fact you were in his gaming room."

She nodded. "Sasuke-kun was trying to prove a point."

"If I recall correctly, it is not the first time he has used you to prove a point."

No, it wasn't. And honestly? As heart-breaking as it was to admit, and as pathetic as it made her feel, it definitely wouldn't be the last time. Why was she okay with that? Well, she wasn't. But she loved him.

There was a weighty sigh from beside her, causing her to look in Itachi's direction. She frowned at his expression, wondering what was going through his mind to cause such an outward reaction. Maybe he could read her thoughts? Was she mistaking his look of disappointment for something else? Why did it even matter? He was her boyfriend's _brother_, not her boyfriend. His opinion didn't matter half as much as Sasuke's did.

Yet…

"I wish you could see the truth, Sakura-san," he told her in a voice that matched his previous sigh. "I wish you could understand that what you are experiencing, is not love. It is infatuation."

Infatuation? How could he–

"You allow my brother to walk all over you. He belittles you, uses you and more recently…" The way his sentence trailed off, serious expression cracking and allowing her to see a flash of pain, cut her deeply. "How can you possibly believe that to be love?"

But the answer was simple, right? "Because if it wasn't, I wouldn't still be here. With him, I mean."

"If that is what it means to be in love, then I wish to never experience it."

A sudden lump in her throat forced Sakura to look away, unable to understand _why_ his words caused her pain. Was it really that bad? Her love for Sasuke? To have someone so sickened by it, to the extent that it turned them off the idea of love entirely, made it hard for her to breathe. It broke her heart.

"What can I do?" she asked, voice sounding strangled. "Leave him? Write off the past five years because of a few mistakes he's made while under pressure? I'm not-" They interrupted one another, falling silent for a few seconds, before she continued quietly, saying, "I'm not making excuses for him, Itachi-san. It wasn't until recently that he started acting like this, so maybe…"

When she trailed off, he glanced her way, finishing the sentence for her with, "Maybe there is a chance to reverse the damage?"

"…Yeah."

There was a thoughtful pause, then, "Do you truly believe that?"

She tried to smile again. "Yeah. He's still in there."

"Then I wish you the best of luck." It seemed as though he had to force himself to smile, and soon he sighed, giving up on the task. "Please, be careful."

* * *

The journey home took too long, in her opinion – or was it more so due to the fact that the silence and the awkward tension put her on edge? It hardly mattered. When they were almost home, Sakura messaged Sasuke and he met her outside, barely saying two words to his older brother before they were sat in his car.

Their gaudy garage was more like a personal, underground car park, easily accommodating a bare minimum of twelve cars. She used to envy the Uchiha family, often looking to her own family and their comfortable home with disdain, but over the years she'd learned that it wasn't all it was made out to be. Just because Sasuke lived in a mansion, it didn't mean he was happy. None of them were. What was the point in having everything, if she was miserable?

She looked out of the tinted window, not missing Itachi's backwards glance as he entered the manor from the garage door, emotions concealed by a mask of indifference. It was hard explaining to herself why the situation hurt her so much, making her stomach twist uneasily. It wasn't because she was afraid of the possibility of him confronting Sasuke – she knew he wouldn't. So, what was it? The hopelessness of it all? A small voice in the back of her mind told Sakura that it was more to do with Itachi's disappointment in her. His views on her idea of love… hurt her. Deeply.

"You're quiet."

The softly spoken words had her attention returning to Sasuke, her gaze drawn to the tension in his muscles as he reversed out of his parking spot. Like always, he was a cautious driver, focusing intently on possible collisions or reckless drivers – nothing like his brother, who was cautious but confident. He assessed possible dangers while _knowing_ his reaction time was good enough to avoid them.

Realising that she hadn't responded, she hummed. "Am I?"

A faint frown marred his features. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She tried to smile. "It's just been a…" Long? Awful? "A trying day."

There was obvious awkwardness in the way he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her smile was more prominent, easier, seeing his effort. "It's nothing, just girl drama. Costume fittings, to be more exact."

"There was an issue?" His awkward demeanour remained.

"Kind of," she mumbled with a grimace. "I've been running a lot since…" She trailed off, frowning. "My muscles have toned up, I guess."

He nodded once. "You look healthier."

"I feel it."

Would it always be so awkward between them now? Slowly, Sakura's arms folded over her body, right hand clutching at her waist, the other, her arm. Gods, she hoped with all her heart that they would find themselves once more, that they would move on from what had happened and become stronger. But would they? _Could_ they? It didn't matter how long it would take – as long as they got there.

They had to get there.

"I miss you," they said simultaneously and she bit her lip, failing to hold back her smile.

A faint smile crossed his own lips, their eyes meeting briefly before he focused on the road once more, swiftly indicating to pull into a nearby car park belonging to a supermarket. It was relatively empty, surprising for the time of day, but that was better for them. It gave them an ounce of privacy. With a sigh, Sasuke shut off the engine, shifting in his seat and after a moment, she followed his example, refusing to look away when they finally locked eyes.

"I don't want it anymore."

She frowned again. "What?"

"The break," he elaborated. "I don't want us to be on a break." Swallowing hard, his brows knitted together and Sasuke reached out, taking her hand. "There is nothing I can do to apologise for what happened that night and it will take a lifetime to try and make it up to you."

"Sasuke-kun, you don't-"

"Let me finish," pleaded Sasuke quietly. There was a weighty pause and she found herself unable to look away from his pained expression. The genuine struggle, the disgust and hatred towards himself, caused an ache in her heart. "I thought a break would help, but a break won't solve the issues between us. I was ignorant to believe it would."

Was she hearing things? Was Uchiha Sasuke willingly admitting that he was wrong? "Yes, you were."

Faintly, he smirked, but it quickly disappeared. "I don't want us to go back to the way things were before – clearly, it didn't work. We need more communication and to be more honest with one another."

More him than her, she wanted to say in response. Instead, Sakura recalled the way Itachi had fit so easily among her family, eating breakfast with them and talking like he belonged with them. "I want you to have dinner with my parents at least once a month – or every two weeks."

A single nod. "And we'll spend more time together. No phones, no distractions. Nothing will cause me to distance myself from you again."

Part of her grew uncomfortable at the seriousness in his expression and in the formality of his words – both of them being regular occurrences during his family's business-related dinner parties. It made her feel as though they were entering a contract, like she was signing her freedom away.

But because she wanted it to work, because she just couldn't picture her life without him, she nodded in agreement, fingers entwining with his.


	12. Make My Heart A Better Place

**Chapter 12**

**Make My Heart A Better Place**

* * *

"More weights?" she questioned unsurely.

Her boyfriend – it felt _so goddamn good_ to call him that again – nodded and without breaking a sweat, lowered himself for the twenty-second time, the muscles in his shoulders rippling, his arms tense and sturdy.

She gripped a tighter hold of the handlebars belonging to the cross-trainer she occupied, the burn of her legs welcomed with open arms. The determination in Sasuke's features strengthened her resolve and she smiled, glancing in the direction of the television. The back-to-back music videos of her favourite band filled the homemade, state of the art gym, Sasuke's surrender of the music choice warming her heart. He'd never cared for her taste in music, always turning it over whenever she'd listened to more than one of her songs. Even something as insignificant as giving her full control was progress, in her eyes.

The next time his arms were fully extended, Sasuke paused, looking at her through his bangs. "Would you mind?"

Green eyes were wide when it clicked in her mind what Sasuke wanted from her and she slowed in her exercise, watching him unsurely. "R-Really?"

Hormones truly were a wicked thing and she scolded herself for getting so strung up on his request. Climbing off the cross-trainer, she breathed out a deep sigh, watching as Sasuke continued to thirty push ups before laying flat on the ground, waiting for her. There was no way to hide her red cheeks or the quickening of her heartbeat as she leaned down, first straddling his lower back before evenly distributing her weight. Her breasts were squashed against his back, ankles crossed on top of his legs and she shut her eyes, arms folding on the back of his neck.

"Is this okay?" she asked quietly.

She knew she wasn't the only one affected by the proximity when goosebumps broke out across his exposed skin and he faltered in resuming his push ups. "Yeah."

Smiling, Sakura lowered the side of her head to her arms, inhaling his scent with every breath she took. Was it normal for her skin to feel so heated when it brushed against his? For her stomach to flutter when he resumed his push ups? She could feel the pressure his muscles were under, yet he continued his constant up and down motion. The only indication of the strain was his breathing and she shut her eyes.

"Kurotsuchi-san called last night," she told him after his third push up. Carefully, while he was on the ground, she lifted her head, daring to slip her arms around his neck in an embrace. "She asked if we're free for the photo shoot this weekend."

"We being you and Itachi." Grimacing, she nodded. He snorted. "Sounds weird saying it like that."

Did it? "We're kind of a team for this whole thing," said Sakura with a small smile.

"Good," he muttered and there was a brief pause in his push up, the added weight proving a challenge for him and Sasuke puffed out a weighty breath. "He won't let them use you as a doormat or force you into anything."

Had Itachi said something? What if he had? Would Sasuke be mad at her for saying something? She didn't want to find out. "Yeah, I guess," she replied after a long pause. "I just wanted to make sure we didn't have anything planned."

"We don't," he said through his teeth, struggling with his seventh push up. Once he was lowered again, Sasuke tried to look at her from over his shoulder, scowling faintly, "Unless you want an excuse?"

Did she? After the events of last week, she hadn't spoken to Itachi that much. It kept replaying in her mind, though. Constantly. And each time it did, she thought of a new way of looking at the entire situation – the classic signs of an overthinker, she'd continuously scold herself – and now she wasn't even sure if she wanted to work with him anymore.

Were the interactions between them normal? How much influence would his words have on her if she continued to listen to his warnings? Was feeling whatever the hell she felt after a mere hug _normal_? What even was normal?

"What's wrong?"

She shook herself out of the bad mood, smiling. "Nothing."

"So what is it, then?"

"No, I don't need an excuse. I just wanted to make you my first priority," she lied. She wondered what made her feel worse: the lie itself, or the fact it came so easily to her. "Is that so wrong?"

There was a different kind of pause, one that made her heart skip a beat for reasons she couldn't fully understand until he reached up with one arm, managing both their weights without too much of a problem. Then, he tugged on her, encouraging her to switch her position from on his back, to underneath him. Her earlier blush was nothing in comparison to the one that raged proudly, covering new areas as it reached her chest and ears.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

"Is this okay?" he asked, watching her closely as he lowered himself, but soon straightening back up until there was more distance between them.

She could only nod when their skin brushed, her tongue tied and refusing to cooperate with her. Green eyes were fixated on Sasuke's face as it grew closer and closer and closer, their noses skimming briefly, lips tantalisingly close, sending shivers down her spine, before he withdrew again, smirking down at her. The smirk grew more pronounced each time he saw the effect his actions had on her, leaving her a blushing, breathless mess of hormones.

It was on his eighth push up that her arm snaked its way around his shoulders, leg wrapping around half his body, yanking him downwards and keeping him there, their lips meeting in a desperate clash that had her hands balling into fists, back arching until their chests were pressed together tightly. His hand skimmed along her thigh, hiking it over his hip and he pushed down, making her breath leave her in a shaky sigh.

* * *

_"No, Sasuke-kun. We-"_

_He silenced her with another insistent kiss, hand returning to her cheek to keep their faces together, making it harder to pull away. It was such an odd sensation, Sakura noticed numbly. Usually, she loved it when Sasuke kissed her passionately. She loved when he paid her attention. So why did she feel so uneasy? A kiss that previously caused her to melt against Sasuke, desperate to feel more of him, currently had her squirming in her place. She couldn't enjoy it._

_"Sasuke-kun-"_

_"We're not doing anything wrong," he murmured against her lips._

_She couldn't break the trust she'd earned, but how was she supposed to say no to her boyfriend without seeming like she was rejecting him? Sasuke had never been so insistent before, so… so pushy. What if saying no resulted in him never wanting to make the first move? What if it caused him anxiety somewhere down the line? What if she made him think the same way as herself, wondering why he didn't want her or if something was wrong with her?_

_Still… "The rules-"_

_"The rules say we can't share a bedroom," Sasuke said and her breath caught in her throat when his knee squeezed between her thighs, parting them. "Technically, this isn't a bedroom."_

* * *

The memory turned the kiss bitter and in response, she tried to bring the spark back, tried to forget about the things whirling around in her mind, but it was impossible. It was there. It had happened and she couldn't forget it. Not when he was repeating the moves he'd used _that night._

Keeping her eyes closed, she pulled him closer, kisses growing in intensity and soon his hand came down, pinning her wrists above her head as he took full control.

* * *

_Why didn't she enjoy it?_

_Why couldn't she say no?_

_Gaze darting to the door, Sakura mentally begged of someone to walk in – no, not just someone. Itachi. She wanted Itachi to use his weird sixth sense thing and walk in on them, which would stop anything more from happening. If his parents caught them, then they could kiss all the trust they'd earned over the years, goodbye. But Itachi was a different story. Yes, he had authority but he was also rational and understanding._

Walk in_, she pleaded._ Walk in. Walk in. Walk in. Walk in. Please, Itachi. Walk in.

* * *

She found herself almost wishing the same thing.

Panic had her quickly bucking him off her and scurrying backwards, bumping into a treadmill. She panted for breath, eyes wide and fingers digging into the rubber mats they'd placed all over the gym, unable to miss the flash of hurt and self-loathing that crossed Sasuke's face as he realised where her mind had gone. In an instant, he could no longer meet her eye, his gaze drawn to the black rubber mat she was surely destroying with her unyielding grip.

"I-I'm sorry. I-"

"Don't apologise, Sakura."

How could she not? He looked so hurt and lost, so full of hatred towards himself for what he'd done to her. The moment had been sweet, so sweet and passionate and she'd been loving every minute of it. So why? Why had that awful memory she continuously suppressed lunged to the front of her mind, forcing everything to come to a halt? It wasn't like he'd actually raped her, was it? Why was it a problem if she'd told him they could move on from it?

It was because, despite the fact it hadn't progressed that far, she'd still been violated. He had still forced himself on her and it was going to take some time to come to terms with that, let alone move on from it. How could she have been so foolish as to think it would be that easy? Tears of frustration filled her eyes and she closed in on herself, knees coming to her chest and arms shielding her head from him. She could still hear Sasuke, though. She heard him faltering in what to do before he moved forward, awkwardly reaching out to her in an attempt to comfort her.

"I should be the one who's apologising," he muttered softly and his forehead dropped to her shoulder. "I hurt you, Sakura." There was a shuddering sigh and he came to kneel before her, hands gently prying her arms away from her head, trying to coax her into looking at him. "I told Itachi what happened."

Shocked, she looked to him, tears freezing in her eyes. "What?"

The sudden pain in his eyes didn't touch the shame she could see in them. "I couldn't keep it in – what I did to you."

Oh, Gods. What had Itachi said to him to cause him so much pain? "W-What did he say?"

"Nothing I didn't deserve to hear," he replied quietly, his voice almost a mumble, shocking her. Uchiha Sasuke did not mumble. He spoke clearly, proudly, even when he was wrong. Why was he mumbling? She couldn't tell if he was embarrassed at being scolded by his older brother, or ashamed of himself for his actions. "What I did was inexcusable, Sakura and I deserve the judgement I received. That's why I get it."

"You get what?" she questioned and wiped at her eyes.

Dark eyes looked away, a soft frown marring his features. "If you can't… be with me that way. We're still new to all this and I made the experience negative by doing what I did."

It seemed he couldn't admit out loud what he'd done, just as she couldn't stand to put it in the same sentence as his name without her skin crawling. "Sasuke-kun, I…"

"Don't try to deny it, Sakura."

But she didn't like the look in his eyes. The pain that was crushing him. It was obvious that what he'd done was weighing down on him – and so it should – but she wanted things to be normal between them. If it continued to fester between them like an infected wound, what would happen to their relationship?

Was that what he was thinking too?

"Are you breaking up with me again?"

Shock was written all over his face and he approached quickly, yanking on her arms and bringing her close. "No," he told her seriously and her heart lurched with relief. Shutting her eyes, Sakura shuffled closer, resting her head on his collarbone. "I don't want that."

"Neither do I," she mumbled.

She felt him take a deep breath and felt a responding shiver when he breathed out again. "Itachi said it's going to take time."

Yes, it would. But how long? What about when they grew tired of it all?

"And I'll wait for as long as I need to," he then said, surprising her and she felt tears stinging her eyes.

* * *

It was finally the weekend.

She'd woken early that morning, bags packed to the point of bursting as she tried to cram everything inside, ready for the photo shoot. Kurotsuchi had informed them there would be a makeup artist there, as well as a hairstylist, but _just in case_, Sakura had packed her own makeup.

Perhaps texting Itachi at the time she had, had been overkill, but fortunately for her, he'd already been awake, as had Sasuke, allowing her to spend an hour with him before they set off.

The atmosphere was uncomfortable, however. She noticed it instantly when she arrived, sending her boyfriend questioning glances, wondering if he was ever going to tell her why everything seemed so off. He didn't. In fact, he barely said two words to her. She had to wait until breakfast to find out, when his mother served them sporting a swollen cheek. Hiding her shock was impossible and she couldn't help but stare at the woman with wide eyes, mouth agape. There was bruising on her cheekbone, accompanied by a small laceration. If Sakura was to guess, she'd say it appeared as though she'd been caught with a ring, like somebody had backhanded her. Was that what happened?

The shocks didn't end there, however.

Her eyes widened that little bit further when Fugaku himself entered the dining room, refusing to look any of them in the eye while seating himself at the head of the table. It wasn't his demeanour that caused her surprise – not entirely, anyway. It was the bruising around his neck, bruising he tried covering with the collar of his shirt.

It wasn't hard to guess who had intervened, her eyes going straight to the man sat opposite her at the table. Quietly eating his breakfast, Itachi seemed at total ease, like he hadn't choked his father following his assault on his mother. It wasn't until he stole a glance at his parents that she noticed the tension in his eyes, the warning look when his gaze met Fugaku's. It screamed everything he wasn't saying out loud: _and I'll do it again, should you hurt her._

_Shit_, she couldn't help but think and beneath the table, her hand found Sasuke's, giving it a brief squeeze before they dug into their respective breakfast. It didn't take a genius to notice he was shaken up by it all and part of her wanted to cancel the photo shoot, just so Itachi would remain at home, ready to protect his mother and brother.

The Uchiha family was toxic, she thought before scolding herself. It wasn't anyone's fault but Fugaku's. _He_ was the bully. _He_ was the wife beater. _He_ was the one who was traumatising his children. _He_ was the reason why Sasuke behaved the way he did. It was like Itachi said: he didn't know any better. All he had to guide him was the dysfunctional marriage between his parents and it showed. So much.

It was one thing being told how unhealthy a relationship was, but a different matter altogether when witnessing it first-hand and noticing the similarities.

Was she seeing her future? Was _that_ what she had to look forward to? Already, she had found out the hard way that Sasuke was capable of losing his temper, that he was able to use her to prove a point, that he could break her heart. Would he ever go that step further? Would he ever physically harm her?

She looked to him out of the corner of her eye and while she'd tried to be discreet, apparently, it was enough to gain Itachi's attention. It was hard understanding the emotion in his eyes, but if she was to hazard a guess, Sakura would have believed the look to be pleading – no, not pleading. It was a warning, but not in a harsh way. He was warning her that yes, this was her future if things continued the way they were progressing.

Breakfast took too long. Way too long.

When it came to leaving, Sakura was eager to hurry the hell up. The only reason she hesitated was because of Sasuke, who lingered outside the front door, watching them silently. He appeared lost, in a way and it had her faltering as she opened her car door.

How could she leave him there like that? In the middle of the mess that was his parents' marriage?

She jogged over to him, the force of her sudden embrace knocking the breath out of him, causing Sasuke to stumble a step or two.

"Sakura-"

"Call me," she told him seriously and pulled back, gazing at him with a puckered brow. "Not just if anything happens – to talk. If you want to."

The hard edge in his eyes faded. "Yeah."

When he carefully pulled away, wary of hurting her feelings, she took a step back and half turned, assessing his features. "Please, call me."

"Text me when you're free and I'll call."

Dressed for the stifling weather in a black tube top and green belted, high waisted shorts, Sakura knew she looked good, because Sasuke's eyes were glued to her as she walked away and she smiled to herself while entering the car. After they had gotten back together, she had put all old band or novelty t-shirts to the back of her wardrobe, instead taking advantage of her staff discount every time she finished a shift at the store. By the end of summer, Sakura had no doubts that she would have an entirely new wardrobe.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like for me to drive?"

Itachi's question brought her out of her superficial thoughts and she raised an eyebrow, already beginning to reverse out of the wearily long driveway. "No, apparently you need to rest."

She could feel his inquisitive stare on her face, but she was too busy focusing on the manoeuvre of a three-point turn, putting her foot down once she put the gear into first. In her rear view mirror, she saw Sasuke re-entering his family home.

"Excuse me?"

It was with a huff that Sakura reached over his lap, grabbing her sunglasses off the dashboard and shoving them on. "What the hell happened?"

What she'd been expecting was total silence on the subject, or to at least be told that it was none of her damn business. Instead, Itachi responded with a sigh, "Mother disagreed with Father in front of our uncle-"

"Madara?" she interjected, frowning.

"Yes," he said tiredly and slipped on his own sunglasses. Until that point, they'd been resting in their respective case in his jacket pocket. "In response to what my father views as disobedient behaviour, he struck her."

That, she'd managed to piece together herself. What she _wanted_ to know was Itachi's involvement and why he suddenly involved himself. Going off what he'd told her previously, she gathered he hadn't ever taken sides, instead remaining silent. What made him finally stand up for his mother?

"Sasuke was in the room."

Her breath caught, grip tightening on the steering wheel until she gave into the groaning of her engine begging her to go up a gear.

"It was not the first time he witnessed Father hitting her, but it seems as though he has learned it shouldn't happen."

"He got involved."

It wasn't a question, but Itachi nodded anyway, telling her, "The moment Father turned on Sasuke, I could no longer remain silent. I restrained our father-"

Restrained? "That bruising looked a little more than just restraining-"

"What would you have me say?" he questioned and briefly, their eyes met, even through the cover of their sunglasses. "That I strangled my own father?"

"If that's how it happened." Shrugging lightly, Sakura added, "What use is there in lying to yourself?"

Again, Itachi sighed. "I did not strangle my father with the intention of killing him."

"But…?"

"Mother begged of me to release him." There was obvious frustration in his features, eyebrows knitting together. "According to her, it was her own fault for disobeying him."

It'd shaken him, Sakura realised, shocked. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him look down at his hands, saw how he clenched them into fists. An odd, damn near overwhelming feeling of wishing to take away his indecision and self-loathing filled her and she frowned, focusing on the road once more.

"You were defending Sasuke-kun, Ita-"

"Violence solves nothing," he countered, cutting her off. "I should have restrained him – what I did makes me no better than him."

The air was getting too much for her, threatening to suffocate her and Sakura rolled down the back windows, allowing the fresh air to circulate the car without causing her hair to obstruct her view.

"You are in the wrong lane. This lane will take us to the mall."

Glancing over her shoulder, she thanked the Gods that the road was clear and quickly changed lanes, inwardly scolding herself for not paying better attention. "Sorry."

"I can take over, if you wish-"

"What's the matter?" she teased, smirking in his direction. "Don't you trust my driving?"

There was a pause in his reply as they hit the country roads, as she really put her foot down. "Not when you break the law."

"Hypocrite," she said with the same smirk. "You broke the law while driving Sasuke-kun's car." She glanced his way with a knowing look, raising her eyebrow in a clear challenge. "Several times."

As she'd expected, Itachi didn't back down, merely looked at the speed she was going before looking back to her. There was a daring emotion in his eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips and Gods, it shouldn't have, but it made her pulse quicken and in response, she gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"You should have allowed me to finish," he told her in a murmur. "I was saying: not when you break the law so pitifully." Sitting back in his seat, seeming at ease, he added flippantly, "At least do it properly."

What was this new side to Itachi and why the hell was her stomach in knots over him? Why did she prefer the carefree version of himself compared to the uptight one? The one who never broke composure? This one was…

Itachi reached forward and turned up the music, relaxing in his seat once more and she bit her lip, turning her entire focus on the road, pushing her car to its limits as she sped up.

"–_scars of your love, they leave me breathless, I can't help feeling we could have had it all, rolling in the deep."_

It was exhilarating – that was the only way she could describe it. Her reflexes were shockingly better than what she'd assumed them to be (it helped that they were on a long, straight and most importantly _empty_ road) and she felt _confident_ in herself, taking a deep breath through her nose and grinning with the rush she was experiencing. It had her grin widening impossibly when she met Itachi's gaze and she didn't think twice about catching him staring at her. How could she? She felt free.

"_You're gonna wish you never had met me."_

When was the last time she'd ever felt such a way? So… so _not_ weighed down by the things going on in her life?

She never wanted it to end.

"_Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep."_

Unfortunately, like that thought alone had cursed her, Sakura was forced to slow down, her music replaced by the sound of her ringtone. It annoyed her beyond belief, but she swiftly apologised to Itachi and answered the call by pressing one of the many buttons on her steering wheel, accepting the call that came through via Bluetooth. Whenever her phone was in the car, it automatically connected to the speaker system, allowing her to speak on the phone while driving. Her parents hated it, but sometimes it was necessary.

"You're on loudspeaker," she warned.

"_Is it true?"_ came an upset demand, blaring over her speakers and Sakura sighed in response, sharing an eyeroll with her passenger while turning the volume down. "_Have you seriously gone away for the weekend with Itachi?"_

Said Uchiha raised an eyebrow at the tone of his voice, clearly not missing the insinuations behind his words. It would have been impossible to miss, unless he truly was dense.

"I'm taking part in a project with Itachi-san, if _that's _what you're asking," she muttered, wishing that Naruto would get the message.

He didn't. "_Sasuke said you're both gone for the whole weekend, Sakura-chan,"_ he whined childishly. "_Why the hell are you going away with him and not me?"_

"Naruto-kun, are you attempting to take Sakura-san from my brother?"

"_What? No,"_ he yelled through the phone and Sakura contemplated turning him down again. Or maybe off altogether. "_But what the hell are you doing, huh? You're the one who's whisked her away for some romantic weekend away to who knows where to do who knows what to her, you-"_

The blush on her cheeks was horrendous. "Naruto, stop," she demanded and immediately, he fell silent. "I promise, nothing like that's going to happen, okay?"

He sounded like he was pouting when he replied with, "_Fine."_

"I do have a favour to ask, now that you're on the phone," she said as an idea came to mind and noticing a new sign when Itachi pointed it out to her, she indicated to turn left, following it. "Will you hang out with Sasuke-kun this weekend? Either keep him busy or away altogether-"

"_Why? Did something happen?"_

Even if Itachi hadn't been there, she wouldn't have gone into details. "Just… do it. For me. Please?"

"_Sure, Sakura-chan."_ There was obvious concern laced in his words but fortunately for her, he didn't push the topic any further. "_A or B?"_

She sighed, pretending not to notice Itachi's questioning gaze. "D."

There was a brief whistle. _"That bad, huh."_

"Bordering on E," she told him with a heavy heart. "But don't make it too obvious, okay?"

"_Yeah, yeah, I can do that," _he said in a way that told her he was already texting Sasuke. "_I'm thinkin' a road trip, this time."_

That would be good for him, Sakura thought, agreeing with him. "Thank you, Naruto."

"_Sure thing,"_ came his murmured reply. Then, speaking more directly to them, he warned, "_No feeling her up, Itachi! Ya hear me?"_

Without a second thought, she hung up on him, apologising profusely the second the music began playing once more. It continued at the same low volume, becoming background noise, allowing them to talk over it with ease.

"Don't apologise," Itachi told her, smirking faintly. "We both know how this looks to an outsider."

Yes, they did. But Naruto was not an outsider – he never had been. He was there the day she met Sasuke, the day she confessed her feelings to him, the day they started dating. He was there every step of the way, watching their relationship grow from awkward pre-teen romance, to… whatever it was now. Even if he wasn't a main participant, like herself and Sasuke, he'd always been there in the background, supporting them. If there was anyone (other than Sasuke) who _knew_ they could trust her, who _knew_ she would always remain faithful, then it was Naruto. _He knew her_. Just the insinuation, joking or not, hurt her.

Was it her dampening mood that had Itachi changing the subject from her suspected infidelity? Sakura wasn't sure, but she was grateful for it, when he asked her, "Plan A?"

Sighing, she followed the signs for the cabins. The drive wasn't too bad and the scenery was certainly appealing, however, they would be stuck in the car for at least half an hour and she knew they were developing an awful habit of bickering when trapped in each other's presence.

"After you left and your dad started pressuring Sasuke-kun, Naruto and I came up with several plans of action," she informed him and her lips twitched, trying to smile. Inside, she didn't feel like smiling. It hurt recalling all the times they'd had to move onto the different stages of their plans. "At first, all we'd have to do was call or text. You know, let him know we're there?"

Itachi nodded and again, she sighed, making a right turn. The road was busier, the traffic congesting and she groaned in response. Traffic was the worst, but what made it worse was the quickly escalating temperature.

"Well, things progressed pretty rapidly," she explained after a couple of moments and turned up the air conditioning, shutting the windows so that it'd work properly. "We never really thought we'd have to plan strategies on how to counter the effect your dad had on Sasuke-kun, but we were having to come up with more ways to comfort him."

"D?"

"D is…" She trailed off, eyes narrowing momentarily. Sakura was glad she was wearing her sunglasses, because it took her a while to regain composure, tears threatening to fill her eyes. "Plan D is recent – not even a year old yet." Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she said, "It means get him the hell out of there."

Her words shook him. It was clear in the way it took him a while to reply. When he did, his voice was quiet and he asked, "E?"

"There is no E yet," came her equally quiet response. "But it seems like we're gonna need a new one soon."

"What makes you so sure?" Even with her sunglasses on, she knew she nailed the 'are you stupid' expression, for he sighed and murmured, "He is copying our father's example."

"I haven't told Naruto," she said, adding with her pleading look alone that he not mention it to anyone, least of all Naruto. "It would only stir up more trouble if he found out."

"There is always the chance of Sasuke telling Naruto-kun himself," he informed her. His head shifted, his gaze drawn to the wildlife they could spot once she made yet another turn. They were on a dirt road now, one that would lead them to the cabin eventually. "He told me, after all."

Yes, he had and she was so glad for that. Bottling up his emotions would only exacerbate the situation. "You could've been easier on him, you know."

"And what would Sasuke learn, had I been?"

"I don't know," she said with frustration. "That you're an understanding older brother who'll love him unconditionally?"

He raised a brow at her. "I am. However, that does not mean that I will stand back and watch him abuse someone who cannot defend themselves – no." He cut her off firmly. "You will not defend yourself, Sakura-san. You will never willingly walk away from Sasuke, no matter how badly he hurts you."

She opened her mouth, about to unleash hell, but she snapped it shut, unable to think of a retort that wouldn't condemn her.

"Had Sasuke gone through with his actions, had he raped you, would you still be by his side?"

"I…" He watched her expectantly and she looked away, focusing harder than necessary on the road, sickened by her own answer of, "I don't know."

There was yet another sigh and she noticed him returning his hard gaze to the road, only moving in his seat when she went over bumps in the road. Soon, his hand came to the handle above him, preventing himself from banging his head on the ceiling.

"You should slow down," he warned her. "At the very least, you will ruin your tyres."

Frustratingly, he was right, so she did as instructed and slowed down. While she could change a tyre, she did so unwillingly, hating the dirt that never failed to get stuck under her nails, or all over her hands. It felt like she never got it off.

Much to her delight, the cabin came into view, though the sight of what was supposed to be a rustic beauty was spoiled by the two vans parked at the side of it. Still, it didn't stop her from coming to a stop, ignoring Itachi's questioning gaze when she snapped a couple of pictures of the outside. One with the vans, the other with vans cropped out. It was in that moment that she decided she would document their photo shoot (or as much of it that she was allowed) and everything surrounding it.

"You're here," they heard Kurotsuchi shout before they even saw her, before they'd even parked up outside the cabin. "And you're early – even better."

She guessed that they would be leaving their belongings in the car for the time being, since they were already being whisked away to one of the areas for their photo shoot, her stomach twisting with excitement when she saw the stunning white gown that was _begging_ her to wear it again.

"You've both eaten, right?"

Finally, she was able to get a good look at Kurotsuchi and part of her felt her excitement increase at the sight of her seriousness. Well, that and the fact that, behind her, she spotted a makeup artist setting up her workstation, along with a hair stylist.

As soon as they nodded, lost in the chaos, they were shooed, handed over to the artists.

* * *

They hadn't worked half as much on Itachi as they had her. Was she supposed to be offended by that?

The only thing stopping her from biting her lip worriedly was the fact they'd only just finished her makeup. It'd taken her nearly an hour to perfect it, with Kurotsuchi occasionally reappearing to throw in her opinion before vanishing again to make sure her set was exactly how she'd envisioned it. Then, she was given ten minutes to stretch her legs before sitting down for another period of time as another worked on her hair, tugging and spraying and curling.

All the while, Itachi was barely touched with makeup, his hair taking all of fifteen minutes to style until he was told to go and get dressed. To add to her annoyance, the costume designer who'd taken their sizes was back and had informed Sakura that she would need help getting into her dress, now that her hair and makeup was done.

"It's just because Kurotsuchi-san wants this to look as natural as possible," the designer explained while easing the dress over Sakura's head, smiling victoriously when it fit like a glove. "She wants it to look like you're really getting married." Turning her, she eyed her critically before handing over the heels, allowing Sakura to use her for balance as she put them on. "What heterosexual man wears makeup on his wedding day?"

She supposed the older woman had a point, but it was still upsetting that they spent so long on her. Then again, most women spent hours getting ready for their wedding day, didn't they?

The _ping_ of her phone had her glancing over at the screen, inwardly grinning to herself when she saw the notifications blowing up. She'd been cryptic in her post, uploading the pictures of the cabin and vans. Already, she had likes in the double digits, along with many curious friends asking if she was on a movie set. Oh, what would they think if she posted a picture of herself in a freaking wedding dress? She wouldn't, of course. Not without Kurotsuchi's permission. But she _was_ curious to see everyone's reactions.

There was a single knock before a young girl was sticking her head around the door, headpiece in place as she pressed down on it, asking them, "Is Haruno-san ready?"

She met the designer's eager eyes, glad that someone else felt equally excited to get out there and show off the dress. But why wouldn't she? The dress was her design. She'd no doubt spent many sleepless nights creating the masterpiece. Perhaps the photo shoot would also be benefiting her business?

Everyone was rushing around when she entered the set and she felt her confidence go up a notch at the looks of approval she received, their appreciative gazes following her to the centre of it all. She held her dress up at the designer's request, keeping it from brushing along the dirt floor until she was on a single, red carpet. It guided her to the makeshift altar and she paused at the top of it, breath caught in her lungs.

The set was nothing short of wondrous. From the intimate location, to the rolled out red carpet, accompanied by white iron benches, their intricate designs complementing the carpet in a way she couldn't even describe, to the rounded arch covered in greenery and white flowers.

What stood out the most to her, however, was the man standing beneath it. He held the air of a proud man in his tuxedo, standing tall as he conversed with someone who had her smiling, her nerves subsiding entirely. With Deidara there, they would be in safe hands. He was a friendly face amongst all the chaos.

She opened her mouth to announce herself, but before she could, a barrier – a literal, six-foot freaking barrier – was situated between her and Itachi, refusing to let him see her.

"Don't ruin it," Kurotsuchi scolded her playfully, hand resting on the divider. "He's not allowed to see his bride until we begin."

But she wasn't his–

The thought shut down and Sakura nodded, her nerves returning tenfold and she brushed her hands down the dress, distracting herself with smoothing out the non-existent creases.

"Listen up, everyone," Kurotsuchi demanded and took a step back, gesturing for them all to get closer. "This is a _closed_ set, for the comfort of my models, got it? And absolutely _no_ photography other than myself. Nana-san, Hiroki-san, I said you may take pictures of the hair and makeup, but please remember, that's all." They nodded in agreement. "Emi-san, you were also given permission to take pictures of your designs – and your own designs only. I will also take an extra photograph of them together for you for your portfolio – free of charge, for making such a beautiful gown."

The designer, now known as Emi, grinned brightly.

"Now, are we ready?"

Sakura took a deep breath, glancing down at herself. The nerves were growing and she felt herself growing restless with them.

Her hair was curled and expertly pinned in a way that matched the theme of the wedding, half up and half down, along with several strands to frame her face. To complement the look, the hair stylist (she wasn't sure whether it was Nana or Hiroki) had placed several diamond studded pins, and it certainly worked to make her hair feel amazing.

"Sakura-san, did you bring music?" Worriedly, she shook her head and Kurotsuchi smiled. "Don't worry. I'll play a playlist that was left behind by another model."

Model. Was that what she was now? It certainly boosted her ego thinking that way and Sakura barely held back her grin, focusing on the divider intently, more than anything wanting to see Itachi's completely _real_ reaction to her–

Green eyes widened.

Why did it matter what Itachi thought of her appearance? Why did his opinion suddenly matter?

"Let's go!" Kurotsuchi ordered.

She took several steps back, nodding to Deidara, who surprised Sakura with his sudden appearance beside her. He paused in placing his hands on the divider, sparing a single, almost sympathetic glance in Itachi's direction.

"Good luck," he said, and she wondered why it seemed like he said it more to Itachi than her.

And then the divider was pulled away and she felt her breath once more disappear from her lungs at the expression on Itachi's face when their eyes met.

In that moment, she didn't hear the clicking of the camera, barely took notice of the flashes and she certainly didn't pay attention to Deidara's knowing smirk. No, in that moment, she was too focused on Itachi's widening eyes, his lips as they parted slightly and much to her utter delight, a faint smile pulled at them, eyes warm. Was that… Surely that wasn't the hints of a blush on his cheeks? No, no it wasn't. Right?

"_That's_ the look," they vaguely heard Kurotsuchi praising them. "Remember that look, you two."

Both of them?

There was barely a chance to think about it – not when all she could focus on was Itachi's expression. Heartbreakingly, she admitted to herself that it was exactly how she'd always wanted Sasuke to look at her. No, it was more than that. It was more than she'd ever wanted and it made her equal parts sad as it did ecstatic and confused.

"Bouquet," snapped Kurotsuchi. "Props-guy, where the hell is the bouquet?"

Something was shoved into her hand and Sakura looked down, a soft smile gracing her lips at the gracious way the bouquet was arranged, tied together with a single white ribbon.

Another flash.

"Walk towards him," came another order. "You know how to walk down the aisle, don't you?"

Of course she did. She and Ino had only practised it a couple hundred times in their bedrooms, taking turns to be the bride. The music that was playing was definitely not one that she would be timing her procession to, so she improvised, going against the beat as she slowly approached Itachi.

Shoulders back, head tilted ever so slightly to show off her jaw… Oh, Sakura had practised _all_ the looks with Ino. Figuring out what she had to work with, she found all the best angles to accentuate her beauty. With the straightness of her back, the tilt of her head to avoid looking at the ground, her shoulders back and bouquet being held _just below_ what felt natural to her, she displayed a confidence she had never felt before and wondered briefly if that was how she was supposed to feel on her actual wedding day.

She wasn't the only one to take a deep breath when she reached Itachi, it seemed and her pride took another leap at the look in his eyes. There were extras for this specific part, Sakura noticed as they came to a quick pause in the photographs, giving her the chance to realise there were many seated around them, complete with the fake officiant standing before them.

There were several snaps of them standing at the altar once her bouquet was taken away, with the officiant pretending to go through with the ceremony, the guests cheering and smiling lovingly.

He looked so content, she thought to herself and when their hands joined for their fake vows, she noticed she wasn't the only one looking down as their fingers entwined. It felt so effortless, pretending to marry Itachi. Did that sound stupid? Looking up at him when he slipped a wedding ring onto her finger, she smiled freely, without a care for how it would make her look, before returning the favour.

So lost in the moment that she was, Sakura didn't think twice about their next direction of kissing the bride, her hand worryingly naturally finding a place on the nape of Itachi's neck just as his came to her waist and slipped to her lower back, gently guiding her, closing the gap between them until they were a mere inch apart, lips parted in anticipation, eyes shutting and a blush shone proudly on her cheeks at the undeniable spark.

However, it was that exact spark when their lips almost brushed that she suddenly came back to herself, the shock of what she'd been about to do massively outweighing the brief tingle of their skin touching, of their lips _nearly_ sealing.

She quickly took a step back, swallowing hard.

"That may have been better than an actual kiss," Kurotsuchi congratulated them. Much to her pleasure, since she'd been certain that she would have upset her with destroying one of the most important parts of a wedding, the woman blushed faintly and turned her back on them. "I knew I picked the right couple."

"We're not-"

The argument was too defensive, Sakura realised and silenced herself. She hesitantly met Itachi's eyes, her chest rising and falling. Was it from the stress? From the… Gods, she didn't want to admit it, but from the _longing_ she'd felt. The urge to close the distance, to _feel_ the spark that had damn near stolen her breath permanently, was overwhelming and she could tell Itachi felt no different.

She couldn't hear anything, Sakura realised belatedly. Was it because of the pain in her chest? She… Sasuke's face flashed to the front of her mind and her eyebrows puckered in a soft frown. How could she betray him like that? To almost kiss his _brother_ – not just anyone, but his freaking _brother_ was so…

No, she couldn't cry. She couldn't.

"Onto the next part," Kurotsuchi ordered and it was like all noise resumed around them, everyone suddenly getting involved as they took apart the set, replacing it with different backgrounds for the bride and groom pictures. "We won't take too many of these – I already have my perfect shots."

A careful hand tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet Itachi's concerned gaze and she felt a horrible pang in her chest.

They'd gotten too caught up in the moment. Too lost in the fantasy of having such a perfect wedding – even if everything _was_ fake and rushed through just for pictures.

Itachi must have known that nothing he said would ease the guilt and she knew he felt it, too. She could see it in his eyes as he remained silent, also frowning.

"Guys, come on," stressed Kurotsuchi and Sakura turned, following after the woman to the next set.

All the while, she could feel Itachi's eyes on her, had noticed before turning fully how his hand hung mid-air, like he was reaching out to her.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

_Sasuke-kun, please, _please_ forgive me._


	13. Imagine Me and You, I Do

**Chapter 13**

**Imagine Me and You, I Do**

* * *

"Everyone take a break," Kurotsuchi said with a sigh, rubbing her temple. "Oi, you two," she spoke to them directly. "You better sort whatever the hell is suddenly up with you."

Perhaps it was childish of her to do so, but Sakura couldn't help but look anywhere but Itachi, heart leaping straight into her throat when he tugged on her arm, guiding her to the changing room where they would have some privacy.

They really did need to talk about whatever the hell _that_ had been, however, she felt wary. What if she dug too deep and didn't like the answers she found within herself? What if the whole situation with Itachi's parents, and envisioning that to be her future, pushed her into doing something so… so _destructive_ to her relationship with Sasuke?

Even now, annoyingly, being in the same room as Itachi, with the door closed and knowing nobody would come and bother them, made her heartbeat quicken with nervousness. In response, she stepped further away, even going as far as to turn her back on the Uchiha, willing away the traitorous feelings that caused her hands to shake with a mixture of rage and fear and heartbreak.

"Sakura-san, look at me."

She shook her head stubbornly.

What they'd – no, what _she_ had done was unforgivable. Even thinking about kissing someone else, let alone his freaking brother, was messed up.

"Please."

It was the quiet plea that had her reluctantly turning, doing her best to remove the helplessness from her expression so that she would be colder to him, but she couldn't. It simply wasn't in her nature to shut someone out so suddenly, especially not when they'd become good friends like they had.

And there was something so heartbreakingly beautiful about Itachi as he stood there in his tuxedo, begging of her to look at him.

"What the hell are we doing, Itachi-san?" she demanded quietly, biting her lip for a moment to try and stop it from trembling. "We left Sasuke-kun behind to deal with your parents in that shitty situation, to go away for the weekend together to pose for a fake wedding and n-now there's… there's _this!"_

"We didn't-"

"Kiss? Really? _That's _your argument?" Reaching down, she lifted her dress high enough to take her heels off, thankful for the break it gave her aching feet. What she wanted was to throw the shoes altogether to vent her frustration somehow, but she refrained from doing so, instead breathing deeply through her nose, reminding herself she had to be rational. "It doesn't matter whether or not it actually happened, Itachi-san," she snapped. "What matters is that we – or _I_, at least, wanted it."

His lips parted, but whether it was out of shock at her confession, or because he wanted to say something, she wasn't sure. She didn't wait to find out.

"In that moment, out there at our fake wedding, I _wanted_ to kiss you," she admitted brokenly and sat down before she started pacing. She had to try and keep herself calm, lest she wished to endure the wrath of the makeup artist for ruining her hard work. "I wanted to kiss you _so_ bad."

"We were in the heat of the moment, Sakura-san," he rationalised. Sighing, Itachi walked over to the makeshift dressing table so that he was closer to her, leaning back against it. "I will admit that yes, I wanted to kiss you, too. But it was nothing more than the heat of the moment."

Why the _hell_ did that make her feel just as disappointed as it did relieved? Gods, her emotions were making zero sense to her.

"Tell me," came his thoughtful murmur and she could feel him watching her closely. "Until today, until that moment specifically, did you want to kiss me?"

"Well, no, but-"

"There are no 'buts' about it, Sakura-san," Itachi reassured her with a smile. "Outside of that moment, we hold no feelings for one another."

There was no stopping her head from falling into her hands and sure, maybe she _did_ let the tears fill her eyes despite her fear of the makeup artist. What else could she do? Bottle everything up? Let the emotions become too much for her to handle? No, it wasn't healthy. Crying every once in a while was healthy. Allowing herself a moment to digest, to feel utter horror towards herself, to _cry_ because of the potential damage she could have caused to not only her relationship, but their brotherly bond, was okay. Her chest hurt so bad, the weight of their almost kiss threatening to overwhelm her. What would she have been like had she actually kissed Itachi? Gods, she didn't want to know. She just–

"Oh, Gods," she sobbed tearlessly into her hands.

"We were acting out a wedding, Sakura-san," added Itachi more quietly and she heard him move. When she opened her eyes, she saw him kneeling before her, his eyebrows coming together softly. "It was easy to lose ourselves."

Was it? _How_ was it easy to lose themselves? No matter how she looked at the situation, her guilt only continued to grow rapidly. Sasuke was trying so goddamn hard to work on their relationship, to right his wrongs, and she was throwing it all away like it didn't matter.

He sighed, frown remaining in place. "Nothing I say will alleviate you of your guilt, will it?"

Good, he was getting to know her. "No."

There was a pause in his response, one where he watched her thoughtfully for several moments before asking her, "What would you like to do, then?"

More than anything, she wanted to see into Uchiha Itachi's mind, because she couldn't understand how the hell he was remaining so calm about everything. They'd almost kissed. He _admitted_ to _wanting to kiss her_ and she just couldn't understand why. Why was he so calm? Why was he so easily brushing it off? Why couldn't he understand why it was cutting her so deeply? Why couldn't he see how massive it actually was, and how badly Sasuke would be hurt, should he find out?

"Go back in time," she said, unable to deny the whine to her voice.

Sadly, he smiled at her. "I'm capable of many things, Sakura-san. Sadly, time travel is not one of them." When her features crumbled, head finding its way to her hands once more, he said, "We must continue the photo shoot regardless of how we're feeling. However, should you still feel this way tonight, we can talk about it more."

Talking through her problems was such a foreign concept to her, Sakura suddenly noticed when she'd been ready to shut the idea down. She was used to Sasuke immediately shutting them down, refusing to talk. It was only recently that he said he would try more. "You mean it?" she asked weakly, peeking up at him.

Itachi nodded once. "For now, however, we must remain professional and complete the photo shoot. Do you agree?"

Gods, he was right. They couldn't let Kurotsuchi down, not when they'd started out so well. They couldn't let her regret her decision in choosing them, either.

Standing suddenly and surprising Itachi, Sakura brushed her hands down her dress, taking a deep breath. "Okay-"

Knocking interrupted her sentence and it had Itachi frowning for a second before approaching the door, opening it without warning or a greeting.

"_Haruno-san has a guest."_

What?

Walking over the door as it was held further open for her, she ducked under Itachi's arm and eyed the messenger warily, only briefly taking notice of the fact it was the same girl from earlier – the one who'd told her Kurotsuchi was waiting to start the photo shoot.

"Who?" she questioned, frowning.

"Uh." There was a pause and she pressed the earpiece, communicating to whoever was on the other line. Then, she said with a quick smile, "Your boyfriend, Haruno-san."

Sasuke?

He'd come to visit her?

Without a second thought or backwards glance, she was shoving her shoes back on and rushing out of the room, heading in the direction of the entrance, unable to silence the pounding of her heart as it sped up at just the thought of seeing Sasuke. It was the way her heart reacted that always sent her back in time, making Sakura feel as though it was their first date all over again. Accompanied with the nervous flutter of her stomach…

She bit back a grin.

"Sakura-san, wait."

The grin faltered and she came to a stop, slowly turning to face the older Uchiha. It seemed he'd been following her, though she'd been so caught up in her imminent reunion with Sasuke that she hadn't taken much notice.

There was no specific expression on his face and part of her felt as though that was worse than seeing anything negative towards her. "What are you going to tell him?"

She hadn't even thought of that. Taking a half step back, Sakura stared at the lobby of the cabin. At that moment in time, the door was ajar, teasing her with the thought of Sasuke being so close. All she had to do was push it open a little further and…

And what? Act like nothing had happened between her and Itachi? Tell him the truth, about how she almost kissed his brother _willingly?_

It took her too long to realise Itachi _wasn't_ as calm as he'd previously appeared. He stood before her, taking a few steps closer, a frown slowly bringing his eyebrows together. He'd thought they'd have the entire weekend to sort out their issues, hadn't he? Sakura bit her lip, meeting his gaze warily.

They still could, couldn't they?

"I could…" She looked at the distance between them, wondering when and how she'd grown so comfortable with being so close to Itachi. There was barely a step left between them. Had she wanted it, she could've reached out and touched him without having to fully extend her arm. Lowering her voice just in case, she murmured, "I mean, for now, we could keep it quiet." It felt like her skin was crawling as she said the words. "We can talk about it when he's gone – I know Sasuke-kun. He'll think spending an entire weekend watching us pose for pictures is a waste of his time."

After a moment, Itachi nodded, agreeing to her words. "We _will_ talk about this, Sakura-san."

Ah, so he _was_ unnerved by it all. He'd merely been keeping up a front to try and help her through the rest of their photo shoot. When had he been planning on dumping it all on her, then? That night? Tomorrow? When they were going home? When she dropped him off at his house? No matter when he chose to do it, it would've kicked everything back up for her. All the anxiety and stress and heartbreak. Just when Sakura would've managed to calm it all down, he would've kickstarted it once more.

"Yeah," she agreed, trying to shove it all down for the time being. "We will."

But for now, her boyfriend was waiting for her.

Whether it was the heat of the moment or not, her heart told her instantly upon hearing Sasuke's name that it would always be him. Nothing and no-one else could compare to him, could they? Just her never ageing excitement of seeing him should have told her that.

The door was thrown open when she reached it, her heart stuttering at the sight of her boyfriend standing at the bottom of the porch stairs. He'd been staring over at one of the sets when she saw him, but once he realised she was there, their eyes met and he smirked.

"Sasuke-kun," she said in happy surprise, ignoring Naruto's whining about being dismissed as she dashed forward to greet her boyfriend with an embrace, grinning when he returned the greeting, his hand resting on her hip. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you," came his quiet confession, too low for anyone else to hear.

"Uh, Sakura-chan?" Refusing to let go of him, because _damn_ the day she'd been having was stressful as hell and she _needed_ the comfort, she looked over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Naruto. "Why're you wearing that?"

Oh, no.

Naruto didn't know about the photo shoot.

Her mouth opened, about to explain what was happening, but that was when Itachi decided it was time to leave the cabin, standing at the top of the stairs with that demanding presence of his. It made her want to throw something at him, because she knew it would take a hell of a long time to explain to Naruto what was going on.

And, as she'd predicted, his blue eyes widened dramatically, mouth falling open. He looked between them both, head snapping to the left and right, hand raising and pointing accusingly at them until he finally focused on Sasuke, demanding, "What the hell? You're okay with this?"

"Do not make a scene, Naruto-kun," warned Itachi and he walked down the steps, joining them. He briefly glanced in the direction of Kurotsuchi's lackeys, watching as they nosily glanced at them when they were supposed to be preparing the next set. When they met his gaze, they quickly looked away. "Tell Sakura-san what you think of her appearance and let it go."

He chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I thought I'd save the honour for Sasuke," he admitted, though sent his friend a glare when nothing was said. When it became increasingly obvious nothing _would_ be said, he took Sakura from him like she was nothing but a toy, forcing her to stand in front of him to show him the whole dress, all the while she shoved aside the hurt she was feeling at Sasuke's silence. It shouldn't have surprised her, his refusal to say anything. "You look amazing, Sakura-chan."

Green eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why am I sensing a 'but' at the end of that sentence?"

Ignoring the warning looks sent his way, he told her, "It just… It doesn't feel like you, y'know?"

…He knew?

Her sudden pout had him reacting quickly, eyes going wide as he told her, "You're still breath-taking, Sakura-chan! I just thought you'd always be one who-"

"Idiot," she said fondly and yanked him to her.

It warmed her heart that Naruto knew the wedding dress she was wearing, wasn't one she'd wear at her own wedding. While he knew she'd admire the design and love it no doubt, he still knew it wasn't her.

"W-What did I say?"

"Come on," Sakura said, ignoring his question as she pulled away, linking her arm through his and dragging him in the direction of the photo shoot. "We still have loads to do, but you guys can watch, if you want?"

There was an impish grin that she tried to ignore, but there was no ignoring his question of, "Are you gonna be posing in a bikini at any point?"

The only reason why she didn't punch him was because of her pristine, white dress.

* * *

They were going for more serious, posing shots now.

It was probably due to the tension in the air, or probably because her boyfriend was now watching the photo shoot, his eyes never leaving them for a second as they posed as husband and wife, that she felt increasingly uncomfortable.

She wondered what Sasuke thought of it all. Did it make him feel jealous at all, seeing her pretending to marry another? Wearing a wedding ring that he didn't put on her finger? It was hard guessing. He showed no emotion, seeming unaffected by the vision Kurotsuchi was painting.

"He doesn't care," she murmured as they followed Kurotsuchi's directions. Waiting until Itachi was laying on his back on the wooden pier at the pond near the cabin, she eased herself down, taking a deep breath as she laid back. Their heads were side by side and she turned hers slightly, looking at Itachi's peaceful expression. The camera was above them, attached to a drone that Kurotsuchi was controlling. "Does he?"

"_Stop looking so bored of each other,"_ Kurotsuchi snapped.

Swallowing when Itachi's hand came to the back of her head, she copied his example, allowing a small smile to play on her lips.

She felt his sigh more than heard it. "I believe Sasuke is attempting to remain impassive."

There was an angered groan, the drone disappearing and being switched for her ordinary handheld camera. "_Try another pose – this is all wrong."_

They stood – her with some difficulty, needing Itachi to help her – and waited for their next instruction, soon coming to stand together, in each other's arms.

It felt so robotic to her. Earlier, there'd been emotion behind their posing, helping it all seem genuine. Now, she felt way too much pressure. Could Itachi feel the pressure, too?

"_Damn it, where's the chemistry?"_

There was no chemistry, she wanted to snap back at the photographer. How in the hell was she supposed to have chemistry with her boyfriend's older brother? It wasn't right.

"I may have an idea," Itachi began and gently pulled away from her, facing the irritated older woman. "Would it be possible to use a previous idea of yours?"

Lowering the camera so that it was now hanging around her neck, Kurotsuchi approached them, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm willing to do anything at this point to bring back the chemistry." Lowering her voice considerably, she then added, "I'll kick your brother out, if needs be. If you both feel too uncomfortable-"

"That will not be necessary," he assured her. "Although, I do have an idea to try and ease our nerves. Do you have a pen and paper?"

_Our._

He wasn't throwing her to the wolves, even though it _was_ her fault.

She smiled slightly.

"Play this band's music," he instructed and began writing. "These songs, specifically."

Faintly, Kurotsuchi's eyes narrowed. "What are you planning?"

"Trust me," he told her with a smile and Sakura looked away when the woman blushed at his attention. "I will not let you down, Kurotsuchi-san."

It took several minutes for one of her lackeys to set the new music up to the speaker system, as they'd been playing the same couple of CDs on a loop rather than using the internet or a radio. But once the music started playing, Sakura knew exactly what Itachi had in mind and her eyes immediately sought out Sasuke's, only to look away immediately when she found he was already watching her. Intently.

Still, her heart melted at the chosen song and she turned to face Itachi, allowing a soft smile to grace her lips once her back was to their audience.

"_I'm telling you. I softly whisper, tonight. Tonight. You are my angel. I love you. We will become one, tonight. Tonight. I just say…"_

Considering all that had happened earlier, the song was hardly appropriate, but Sakura refused to dwell on it. As Itachi said: they couldn't let Kurotsuchi down. Not only was she relying on them for that particular section of her portfolio, but there were no doubts in Sakura's mind that their photo shoot alone had cost her a fortune.

"_Wherever you are, I always make you smile."_

When he held out his hand to her, she didn't hesitate in taking it, allowing Itachi to gently pull her closer, their fingers entwining.

"Repeat that move, but slower."

"_Wherever you are, I'm always by your side."_

Once they'd done as she asked, his other hand came to her waist, soon coming around her, bringing her flush against his body and she felt her cheeks burn. Instincts told her to seek out Sasuke, to pull away and go to him, but she stamped them down, breathing deeply, gazing down at the lack of distance between them.

"_Whatever you say, you're always on my mind."_

She met his eyes in surprise, as the last thing Sakura had ever expected of Uchiha Itachi, was to know the lyrics to her favourite band's songs, let alone sing them to her.

"_I promise you "forever" right now," _he sung to her, voice too quiet for the others to pick up on as he turned them, beginning a slow dance. _"I don't need a reason. I just want you, baby. Day after day."_

Looking away from him was impossible. His eyes were the most intense they'd ever been but adding the lyrics to one of the most heartfelt songs she'd ever heard in her life, made them doubly so. His tender serenade made it difficult to breathe, leaving her at his utter mercy when he dipped her, his chest close to hers, breath warm on her neck.

"_We still have a long journey ahead. Please always, always, until death, stay with me. We carry on…"_

It was getting dangerous again, a voice in the back of her mind warned and her hand came to his chest, intent on pushing him away. Itachi must have sensed that, however, because he straightened them up and turned once more so that his back was to the photographer, his eyes imploring with her not to.

"_Wherever you are, I never make you cry. Wherever you are, I never say goodbye. Whatever you say, you're always on my mind. I promise you 'forever' right now…"_

With great care, she was eased away, before spinning back into him with the same tenderness, her back coming to his chest.

"_To us, the day we met is the day we should commemorate the most. Then, this day called 'today' is the day we should commemorate the second most."_

Shit.

There was no ignoring the pangs in her chest and she tried to look over her shoulder at Itachi, sucking in a sharp breath when she found he'd lowered his head, bringing it closer to hers, singing lowly into her ear.

He was seducing her, wasn't he? Was this what it was like to be seduced by Uchiha Itachi? To feel so completely overwhelmed by his presence?

"_Someone I can love from the bottom of my heart. My beloved person."_

She was turned again, slowly, carefully, their foreheads coming together and she shut her eyes, hiding the indecision that would be so painfully obvious in them. It was after several moments of thinking about it that her hands slid up his chest, arms coming around his neck, his soon wrapping around her waist, bringing them close once more.

"_In the centre of my heart, you, my love, are there."_

* * *

Sasuke had been unnervingly silent following the end of the photo shoot, waiting until she was officially dismissed and out of the wedding gown before approaching her.

She was removing the pins from her hair and running her fingers through the curls when he sat down beside her. There wasn't too much product in her hair, thankfully, but there was enough to keep the curls for a while longer. She was glad for that, in a way. Never before had Sakura ever curled her hair, but she had to admit, it was a nice change.

"The photo shoot was…"

He was at a loss for words. Coming to a halt in playing with her hair, even though it gave her something else to focus on, she frowned up at him. "Was uncomfortable, right?" Sasuke could only nod and she found it impossible to try and soothe him. "I didn't like it either."

"You didn't?"

What was that supposed to mean? "No," she said, frown deepening. "At the start of the day, all I was thinking about was how pretty the dress was and how pretty _I_ felt wearing it, but it was…" She grimaced, struggling to find the words that wouldn't land both her and Itachi into trouble. "It was too much for me. As the day's gone on, I've only gotten more and more uncomfortable with it all. I think I'll prefer the next one more."

There was a long, drawn out pause, before Sasuke sighed and glanced down at his legs, scowling somewhat. "I'm still glad it's Itachi who's here," he admitted and she saw a blush beginning to creep along his cheek and the tips of his ears. "Had it been a stranger, I don't think I would've been able to sit there."

"Doesn't that make it worse?" she asked, confused. "The fact that Itachi-san is your brother and I've just pretended to marry him?"

He rolled his eyes, snorting. "No. I trust Itachi and it's not like he'd ever be into you."

Wow, she couldn't help but think numbly. Was Sasuke's opinion really that low of her? Did he really think it was impossible for anyone else to like her? Wasn't she good enough for Itachi? Was it because of the way she looked? Or worse, her personality?

Frowning, she looked at the handheld mirror before her, watching as she resumed running her fingers through the ends of her curls. Her makeup was still on, withstanding the nerves and bright lights that had accompanied her throughout the photo shoot, still completely intact and flawless. She supposed, without it, she was quite plain, really. Her skin didn't have the flawless, matt look, or the highlighter that demanded attention be brought to her most defining features. The contour helping to create shadows, taking attention away from her forehead and defining her jaw. And her eyelashes were just barely half the length of the ones applied for the photo shoot. She–

"Yeah," she agreed with a light laugh.

Ducking her head, Sakura tightened her shoelaces. Since the first part of the photo shoot had ended, they were allowed to go and explore and she'd promised Naruto that they could disappear on a hike for a few hours. Whether that included Sasuke or not remained unknown. He would probably stay behind with his brother.

When she lifted her head and prepared to stand, Sakura's eyes froze on the sight of the older Uchiha walking through the sets, joined by Kurotsuchi. They were too far for her to hear anything, but whatever he was saying had to have been funny, because she was smirking, occasionally laughing. And the sight, for reasons she didn't even _want_ to acknowledge, bothered her. More than she ever could have imagined.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hm?" She looked away just as her eyes met Itachi's, looking to her boyfriend.

It wasn't even Sasuke who'd spoken. How the hell had she managed to miss that? Offering a sheepish smile, she apologised to her best friend. He was watching her with a concerned frown, his eyes silently asking her what their idiot had done now to upset her, to which she responded with a minute shake of her head when Sasuke wasn't looking. The lie wasn't bought, but she didn't care.

"Some of the others are tagging along," Naruto informed them with a grin.

Oh, no. "Who?"

Instead of answering immediately, Naruto pointed over to the pair she'd _just_ been staring at and, much to her displeasure, they had almost reached them. Sakura had assumed that because Kurotsuchi still had her camera, that she was staying behind. Then again, she was a photographer. She would probably take advantage of the opportunity to further expand her portfolio with some shots of nature.

"And Deidara, too. He's just changing."

Great. She'd been looking forward to a hike with Naruto (and only Naruto), but obviously, everything was against her. Maybe it was her punishment for almost kissing her boyfriend's brother?

They were standing pretty close together, Sakura couldn't help but notice when Itachi and Kurotsuchi finally joined them. Changed out of the clothes they'd worn for the photo shoot, they wore outfits suitable for the hike, having been prepared for anything due to where the shoots were happening.

"You did well today," Kurotsuchi told her, coming to stand by her side. "I haven't had the chance to go through all of them yet, but if you want, you can take a look at them with me later?" She smiled encouragingly, patting her shoulder. "Once you see yourself, you'll realise you have nothing to feel nervous about."

Damn it, did she have to be so nice?

Wait, why couldn't she be nice? Inwardly scolding herself for being childish, she nodded once, smiling on the outside. "I'd love to."

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too long for Deidara to return and once they were certain they had everything they needed, mainly water, she followed Naruto's example, leading at the front with him while the rest trailed along behind them at a more leisurely pace.

"Oi."

She stepped a little closer to her blond best friend, pleading with him, "Don't. Please."

There was a brief side eyed glance before Naruto scowled, focusing on the ground beneath their feet. They'd only been walking for ten minutes before he started, so they weren't all that far from the cabin – they could still hear the music being played by those who stayed behind and it disturbed the hike somewhat, refusing to allow them to fully immerse themselves in nature.

A quick glance behind them had Naruto continuing, demanding, "You know how bad that looked, right?"

Yes, she did. "I-"

"Sasuke couldn't even watch," he told her seriously, scowling when their eyes met. "It was killing him seeing you with Itachi like that."

It had? But he seemed so uncaring, like it didn't matter to him in the least. "He said-"

"It doesn't matter what he said," snapped Naruto, stunning her. "You of all people should know to look deeper than that, Sakura-chan."

She gazed over her shoulder at her boyfriend, biting her lip worriedly when she found him at the back of the group, staring into the trees at the side of them with an expression she couldn't even begin to decipher. It had her stopping in her walk, ignoring the others as they passed her until Sasuke was by her side. She smiled somewhat at him, seeking out his hand and it warmed her heart how his eyes lightened a little, their fingers lacing.

"I love you," she murmured to him.

Much to her relief, he smiled.

* * *

Was Itachi going out of his way to avoid her? No, not exactly avoid, but their eyes didn't meet half as much as they previously did, she noticed within an hour of their hike. He also didn't try to start any conversations with her, instead conversing with Kurotsuchi and Deidara – mainly the former, she noticed with a faint pang.

Why was she even feeling so… pushed aside? It was ridiculous, wasn't it? Though, having said that, she knew that Itachi had always involved her in one way or another. Even when she wasn't a part of the conversation, they'd always acknowledged one another with a smile of some kind. So why was he suddenly so cold? Had their photo shoot knocked him as badly as it had her? Was he trying to distance himself?

Why did the thought of him distancing himself from her hurt? Was it because he'd promised to always be there for her? To listen to her problems? To offer her advice or a shoulder to cry on?

Gods, what the hell was wrong with her?

They crossed a wooden bridge and she eyed the flowing water beneath them, her gaze drawn to the way it splashed over the rocks and stones, soaking them but never submerging them.

"There's an embankment," she suddenly informed the others, causing them to come to a stop. "It might be nice to sit there for a while."

They were far enough from the cabin now not to hear the music anymore, allowing them to appreciate the natural beauty surrounding them, aiding them to hear the wildlife within the woods. It was something to marvel at, she thought to herself, already making her way towards the embankment she'd pointed out. It didn't matter if they didn't want to join her, she decided, because Sasuke did without question, taking the lead when they began the descent, watching over his shoulder to ensure she didn't come to any harm. His concern had her smiling and when they reached the bottom, she sat close to him, marvelling at the peaceful area.

It was untouched by man, she hoped while surveying the area, admiring the random changes in the terrain, the chaotic trunks splayed out on certain parts of the embankment, alerting her to previous flooding so strong it had torn them from their roots. There weren't too many like that, though. Others appeared to have grown oddly, sprouting outwards rather than upwards.

The others soon joined them and she watched while taking sips of her water as Kurotsuchi walked around the area, snapping pictures here and there. It wasn't until she was looking away from the older woman that she found she finally had Itachi's attention, their eyes locking for the longest two seconds of her entire life.

What kind of emotion was that in his eyes? It was one she couldn't describe, that was for sure. There also wasn't much time to figure it out, since Kurotsuchi called his name and he answered, immediately walking over to her.

"Do you know what this is called?" she questioned, holding up a flower.

"No."

Really? Neither of them knew what kind of flower that was? It was adored almost as much as her namesake, the cherry blossom. Hadn't they heard of the story of the emperor who'd sent them to the family of the girl he loved, apologising to them for neglecting her? It was one of the first things she learned. It was a story she and Ino had adored growing up.

Holding back the urge to roll her eyes, she said, "It's a hydrangea."

"Oh?" Kurotsuchi admired the flower, raising her camera to snap away from different angles. "Do you know much about flowers?"

"A bit," she told her and stood, dusting off her shorts and legs. "I know how to identify them and what they symbolise."

Intrigued, the woman pulled her over to the cluster of hydrangea, asking, "What does this mean, then?"

Was that meant as a challenge? A discreet glance at the others told her it was possible, for they seemed far too involved in a discussion about flowers, for her liking. "They all hold different meanings-"

"Every colour?"

"Yeah." Losing herself in their beauty, Sakura knelt, her fingertips grazing the soft petals. "The purple ones symbolise a desire to deeply understand someone."

"Oh?" Leaning closer and lowering her camera from her face, Kurotsuchi pointed to the pink one. "This one?"

"This one symbolises heartfelt emotion."

The woman hummed and stood up straight, eyeing the area around them critically. When she couldn't spot anymore flowers (which wasn't unusual, considering they were fairly deep into the woods and until that moment, it'd been mainly soil and trees and the odd bit of grass), she spun, raising an eyebrow.

_That_ was definitely a challenge.

"Cherry blossoms?"

Sakura _did_ roll her eyes that time. Why wouldn't she know the symbolism of her own namesake? "Cherry blossoms symbolise the fragility of life. People also say they symbolise chastity, love and good luck."

"Irises," Deidara surprised her by speaking up.

"Which colour?"

"All."

It was a good thing she'd been such a know-it-all at school, always demanding herself to do better on her quizzes. "Purple irises symbolise royalty and wisdom. Blue is faith and hope. White is purity. Yellow is passion."

Further in the back, Sasuke smirked, his pride making her heart flutter. "Daffodil."

She smiled. He already knew that one, she knew for a fact that he did. "New beginnings."

"Morning glory," Naruto said with a snicker.

Oh, he'd always found the name of the flower hilarious, never failing to laugh to himself whenever he heard or said it. Were there any doubts why it was his favourite flower? "Affection."

"Bellflower."

Why did it sound like Kurotsuchi was growing frustrated? Also, for a woman who didn't know what a hydrangea looked like, she knew quite a few names of other flowers, Sakura couldn't help but notice suspiciously. "Endless love and honesty. Some believe it also means the return of a friend is desired."

"Camellia?" came Itachi's question.

She forced herself to remain unaffected, meeting his eye with a friendly smile. So he was finally giving her attention now?

That particular flower had several meanings, though she certainly wasn't about to say out loud that it meant discretion. "Admiration, humility and the perfect love. Or when given to someone you're romantically involved with it means you are a flame in my heart."

"Cosmos?"

The mentioning of the cosmos had her holding back a frown, the thought of her ex-best friend causing an awful pain in her heart. "I'm bored of this now," she said with a breathy laugh.

"You just don't know," came Kurotsuchi's victorious statement.

Wow, she really was annoying. Deidara hadn't been lying. "No, I know what it means. I'm just bored."

"Sure."

"Like every other flower, it symbolises many different things," she found herself snapping, much to the surprise of the others. "It means peace, beauty, modesty, order… Want me to continue?"

"It is getting old now," agreed Itachi. "You know a lot about flowers, Sakura-san."

She breathed out a deep sigh, willing away her annoyance. It wasn't fair on any of the others – it was her own bad mood, not theirs. Why should it dampen their day, too? Why should she let her anger towards herself ruin the experience for them?

"I used to be best friends with a girl whose parents own a flower store," she answered the unspoken question, sitting beside her boyfriend once more. "We hung out there a lot."

"Man, I'm starving," Naruto whined dramatically. "When can we eat?"

Gods, she loved that boy. He knew it was a sore topic for her. He knew how much it hurt talking about Ino and the fall of what had once been an unbreakable friendship.

"We'll head back in the next hour."

"That's over two hours altogether," he all but howled like he was in agony.

She smiled.

* * *

It was well into the evening when she heard a knock on her door. They'd each been given a bedroom, the cabin large enough to accommodate everyone, although a few had to double up. Fortunately for her, Sakura wasn't one of those people, although she knew Itachi was sharing with Deidara. He didn't seem to mind.

Surprise had her opening her door wider, the sight of her boyfriend with a bag slung over his shoulder making her frown. "You're not leaving, are you?"

He smirked. "Not until morning."

"Then why…?"

There wasn't a verbal response. Instead, Sasuke held out his hand, waiting until she had shut her bedroom door and accepted his hand before guiding her in the direction of the stairs, then to the front door.

"Sasuke-kun, where-"

"Just wait," he ordered softly, further surprising her when she saw the back of his neck burning red.

They didn't stray too far from the cabin, she noticed when they finally reached their destination. Should anyone look out of their bedroom windows, they would see them. However, she didn't care in the slightest. Not when she spotted the opening in the trees directly above a blanket that had been strategically placed on the ground, pinned there by various items.

Her mouth fell open, taking her a few moments to ask lamely, "What's this?"

"I realised that it's been a while since our last date," he murmured, walking backwards as he guided her to the blanket. "It's not much-"

"It's perfect," she couldn't help but whisper.

It was the first time that he had arranged a date by himself and to come up with something so heartfelt was… Tears threatened to fill her eyes and she grinned, throwing her arms around her boyfriend.

"I love it, Sasuke-kun," she told him earnestly and pulled back, kissing him briefly, chastely. "And I love you."

"Come on," he instructed, lowering his bag to one of the corners of the blanket. She didn't fail to see the blush he tried so hard to hide. "You can actually see the stars out here."

Gods, she loved him.

Her elation only continued to grow when Sasuke emptied the contents of his bag, placing her favourite snacks to the side of her. Then, he lowered himself onto the blanket, propped up by his elbows, head falling back to look at the stars.

He was right. They were so clear out in the woods. Smiling, Sakura turned onto her back, gazing up at the sky. It was rare of them to actually see the stars, since there was so much pollution and way too many lights in Konoha.

"Sakura."

She looked up at him, heart fluttering when Sasuke turned onto his side, using a single elbow to keep himself propped up, his other hand settling between them. His expression was calm, but she knew something was bothering him from the way he took a while to continue. Instead of pushing (since she'd learned the hard way that it did no good), Sakura waited patiently, holding his hand once more until he found the words he needed.

"I don't want to be the kind of boyfriend who refuses to allow you to do something you love or enjoy," he began slowly and frowned again, staring at their joined hands. "But… I told you I would be more open with you. Our relationship isn't going to improve unless we're honest about what's bothering us." He sighed, finally meeting her gaze. "I didn't like today."

There it was. The communication they'd promised to work on. He was finally letting her in. "I know, Sasuke-kun," she replied. Giving his hand a squeeze, she told him, "And I can assure you now, that I will never take part in another photo shoot like this. It was uncomfortable for me, too."

Relief. It was so clear in his eyes. "I hated seeing you with Itachi like that," Sasuke admitted, like the door was open now and he couldn't stop the confessions. "I stopped watching when you were dancing."

An idea struck her and Sakura pulled away, taking Sasuke's phone and immediately seeking out his music app. It warmed her heart that he had music she loved on his phone too, as she knew it was for his car. She avoided her favourite band, however, as she knew it would still feel raw for Sasuke. Instead, she sought out the newest band that was being overplayed by her boyfriend and their best friend, choosing one of their slowest songs.

It didn't surprise her that Sasuke knew where she was going with her actions and he smirked, standing with her and coming away from the blanket.

"I love you," she told him again, reminding him as her arms came around him, her head on his chest. Then, she started a gentle sway, their feet barely shuffling on the ground. "Nothing and no-one will ever come close to this, Sasuke-kun."

He sighed with what she knew to be relief, cheek resting on top of her head, lips brushing her hair momentarily in a tender kiss. "Never."

* * *

Their date had been perfect from start to finish. Nobody interrupted them. Neither of them pushed things to progress before they were ready. They had snacks and spoke about everything and nothing, truly taking note of the things the other person was saying and even now, the next day as she was being prepped by the makeup artist, Sakura's heart fluttered.

Due to Naruto still being asleep, Sasuke hadn't left immediately. Instead, he was talking with his brother, who was once more ready way before she was. Fortunately for her, she wasn't sat there for as long as she had been the day before. There was no dramatic makeup or perfectly styled hair. Instead, her makeup was kept natural yet flattering, highlighting her best features and her hair was simple, styled to the top of her head, the ponytail only incomplete by her bangs, which had too many layers in to be tied back. She could have used hairspray, the hair stylist had told her, but it wouldn't be a good look for her, having her hair flattened to her head.

Or, in other words: you have a huge forehead and if I do this, then it's just going to make it look bigger.

Rolling her eyes once she was allowed to stand, Sakura stole a glance at herself in the mirror. Nobody would be buying that she was doing a serious workout – the makeup was too much. However, she knew in the back of her mind that it wasn't a serious workout Kurotsuchi wanted, since that wouldn't look too great either.

As though she had an inclination of where her thoughts had been, once Sakura joined the others outside, she asked both her and Itachi, "How flexible are you both?"

Definitely not an ordinary workout, then. "Pretty flexible."

"Fairly."

The vague answers didn't impress her in the least. "What can you both do?"

"I do yoga."

"I could do yoga."

Sakura bit back her smirk at Itachi's reluctance and she noticed Sasuke smirking from his seat a few feet behind them.

Her boyfriend was definitely in a better mood, she thought to herself with a warm smile. Last night, they'd discussed the photo shoot and she'd assured him that this one wouldn't be as romantic – wouldn't be romantic whatsoever, since they were supposed to be appealing to sports catalogues, or clothing, or whatever the hell it was that Kurotsuchi wanted them to pose for now. She'd also informed him that she'd have to seriously consider the offer, if there happened to be another. Her main condition was that it couldn't be romantic again. Ever. It wasn't fair to her boyfriend.

"Warm up."

They did so wordlessly and Sakura wondered if she was the only one who could sense the awkward atmosphere. While stretching out her hamstrings, she glanced in Itachi's direction, holding back her frown as she watched him stretching.

"Left leg, Sakura."

Sasuke's instructions surprised her, but she thanked him, as she'd been about to skip her left leg to move onto her arms, forgetting about it.

"You can move it higher than that," said Sasuke with a vague tone of disapproval. "Why aren't you?"

Gods, he made it sound like he had personal experience in moving it that high. Her cheeks were burning when the others looked in their direction and she dropped her leg due to the lapse in concentration.

"I was working up to it, Sasuke-kun," she assured him and frowned. "I can't go straight into it or else it'll hurt me in the long run."

"You weren't even easing yourself into it," he scolded her quietly. "You'll do more harm to yourself if you don't stretch properly."

Yes, he was right, but…

Sakura sighed. No, he was right. And she hadn't been concentrating in the least. Hell, her right leg probably wasn't properly stretched – the fact she questioned it told her it wasn't.

She started from the beginning, going from basic stretches to the more complex ones that yoga had helped her body learn. Before starting, she'd struggled with the majority of the poses, but now, she was capable of most of them. Some were still way out of her reach, however. Even after practising her flexibility and pushing her body, it wasn't possible to reach those heights without proper lessons. She merely followed the directions on the internet, hoping for the best.

"Don't forget your hips."

Yes, she knew that already. She was working her way up, damn it.

The stretching went on for far too long, in her opinion and her boyfriend hadn't helped matters in the least. It was quickly becoming apparent that he would become more involved with the sporty photo shoot, since he knew a fair amount about it. After all, he was the one who instructed her to try yoga when she complained about wanting to lose weight, telling her that it would help keep her healthy and tone up, rather than losing weight she didn't need to lose.

"Okay, do either of you recognise these poses?" asked Kurotsuchi when she returned to them, holding up a tablet.

Couple's yoga? Sakura narrowed her eyes on the poses on screen, her stomach somersaulting with nervousness at the complexity of some of them. They were intimidating to say the least. Naturally, the men's involvement looked easy and lazy, but she knew that they were the main structure in the whole thing. If they weren't selected carefully, then there would be many injuries. They had to be strong enough to lift the second person, being their foundation, in a sense. Frowning, she looked to Itachi. While he looked strong, she wasn't sure if he would be able to hold her for long periods of time.

She'd never attempted couple's yoga before, as it wasn't something Sasuke was interested in, but the ordinary, individual poses alone were difficult enough. Could _she _handle the pressure of it?

"You should have an instructor for this," Deidara warned Kurotsuchi. "They could get hurt."

"I didn't know that this is what I wanted to do-"

"Then reschedule the whole thing or change your idea," he told her simply and it stunned Sakura, since he was a fellow artist. He would understand how important that idea was to her. It only went to prove the great risk, making her nerves grow. "You don't even have yoga mats for them, Kurotsuchi."

"Deidara-nii-"

"I'll instruct them," offered Sasuke uncaringly. He stood up, making his way over to them, not taking notice of the way they each watched him closely, probably wondering if he even knew what would be needed of him. Honestly, even Sakura doubted him. "I know a fair bit of yoga and I know what they're both capable of doing."

There was no hiding her nerves when Kurotsuchi agreed enthusiastically, ignoring Deidara's unease as he continued to tell her it was a bad idea. That was her main cause of anxiety, Sakura believed. Even when one of the props guys just so happened to also be carrying a yoga mat (they claimed to have been prepared for anything), she couldn't quiet the nervousness.

"Start off small," he told her, looking through the tablet. "And you can forget about most of these. Your photo shoot isn't worth risking them being injured."

Her heart warmed and she looked to Itachi, both surprised and happy to find he was at ease with Sasuke taking charge. They _were_ in capable hands, weren't they? He wouldn't let harm come to either of them.

"Oi, don't go crossing any out because you don't want his hands on her. This is my-"

"Don't be stupid," he scoffed and set the tablet down on the camping table placed there, allowing them both to see what pose he chose. "I'm crossing them out for their safety. You're hardly prepared for any of the expert acro poses you were looking at." Pausing, he took a half step back so he could look at her directly, narrowing his eyes. "You _do_ have a first aid kit, right?"

Deidara groaned and dropped his head back when she smiled sheepishly.

"It won't be necessary," Itachi assured them and stepped onto the yoga mat, having already learned the pose. Once she joined him, he told her, "I won't drop you."

How could she not believe him when he looked at her like that? Like she was… Sakura wasn't even sure. Whatever the look suggested, she was glad Sasuke couldn't see it.

She smiled warmly. "I know."

When they knew Kurotsuchi was ready, Itachi lowered himself to the mat, his back flat on the ground, hands outstretched, waiting for hers. It was nervously that she took his hands, their fingers entwined, but his grip was strong, sure and reminded her that he wouldn't drop her. So, she breathed in calmly, willing the racing of her heart to stop as she leaned over him, his feet coming to her abdomen uncomfortably.

And then she was up there. Sasuke hovered for a moment, ready to catch her as they took several seconds to find their balance, but he didn't intervene, much to her gratefulness. She could do it. _They_ could do it. They didn't need help.

"Itachi, turn your toes outwards." It seemed to amuse him finding a fault in something his older brother was doing. "Otherwise you'll cause her discomfort."

She made sure her legs were straight, almost like she was planking, and pretended not to notice the flashing of the camera as she looked down at Itachi. He was calm, his breathing normal and she copied his example, smiling faintly.

_They were doing it!_

"Got it," Kurotsuchi told them. "Next!"

Sasuke muttered something under his breath before stepping closer, ready as Sakura was slowly lowered with little difficulty in finding the ground.

"Itachi, stay on the ground." He grabbed the tablet and held it out for them and Sakura felt her stomach flutter at the next pose. It was a good thing they had a nice breeze coming in, otherwise she would've started sweating. "Bend your knees again." Once he'd done so, Sasuke placed the tablet on the ground beside them, turning to her. "I'm going to help you up. I don't know how to safely get you up there," he admitted.

There weren't any names for the poses or instructions on how to safely carry them out. It seemed as though Kurotsuchi had literally searched "couple's yoga" and left Sasuke with the image search results.

"Itachi, be ready to hold her shoulders," he said seriously and it warmed her heart seeing the concentration on Sasuke's face as he positioned her, his hands lingering, hovering over her. "You can do handstands," he told her, though sounded more like he was reminding himself. "Try and do one as slowly as you can."

Sakura bit her lip, calculating the angle her hands had to be on his knees. It'd be difficult doing it slowly, too. Part of her wanted to shout at Sasuke, as this definitely wasn't keeping things simple, but she couldn't find it in herself to be mad, since she knew how concerned he was. But if she miscalculated by even a second, she would end up doing a flip and seriously hurting Itachi, she realised with building dread. She would either land on his chest with her full weight, or his face. Both were bad, in her eyes.

"I trust you," Itachi surprised her by saying, giving her a small smile and it was that smile alone that lessened her worry. "So, trust me. I will catch you."

She nodded and positioned her hands on his knees. They could fix the angle once he had her secured, she decided and like with the previous pose, she took a deep breath, using her upper body strength to pull herself upwards. Instead of throwing herself into it, like she and Ino had been wont to do when they were younger and playing in grassy fields, she fought hard to control her weight, pleased when Sasuke allowed her a few moments to support herself, straightening her faintly shaking arms until she was in a perfect handstand, supported solely by Itachi's knees. Much to her surprise, he didn't falter. There was no trembling.

His hands came to her waist, adding extra support as Sasuke told her, "Ease yourself towards him, like you're doing a front flip."

It was terrifying. She tried her best not to pay attention to those surrounding them, their mouths agape with anticipation, fidgeting restlessly. Her arms shook momentarily and Sasuke came to stand over Itachi's head, his hands secure on her back, slowing her flip when he realised she had hardly any control of the movement.

"Breathe, Sakura," he told her. "Itachi, get ready to hold her shoulders."

More hands touched her and it shocked her that she could tell the difference between the two. Itachi's hands were larger, but Sasuke's were more calloused, the differences threatening to steal her concentration. She couldn't tell if her face was red due to the strain she was under, or because of her traitorous thoughts.

"Like this?" asked Itachi.

Sasuke took a moment, glancing down at the tablet, before frowning, taking a step back. Not once did he release her, however and for that, she was grateful. "Straighten your arms more."

Sakura could tell when he had it, because a fraction of the tension her body was under eased and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sakura, turn your hands a little – you need a better grip of his knees to support yourself."

Knowing he was staying close and that she could trust him to catch her, Sakura shut her eyes, thankful for the extra support Itachi gave her as she, inch by inch, turned her hands. It took too much of her concentration to breathe calmly. "This okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said and then took a step back, assessing them critically. "Think of a lunge for this next part, Sakura," he instructed. "But point your toes while you're doing it."

A lunge? Frowning, she bent one of her legs, the other straight, before pointing her toes. "Like this?"

"No." Sasuke scooped up the tablet and held it up for her.

"It looks like a grand jete," Itachi surprised them by saying. "Do you know ballet?"

No, she didn't. But apparently he did. Storing that knowledge aside for later, because _damn_ she had to know more, Sakura copied the picture with narrowing eyes, allowing Sasuke to correct her positioning when she struggled.

"Try to lose the constipated look, Sakura," she heard Kurotsuchi muttering.

Constipated? That–

She breathed in deeply through her mouth, out through her nose and shut her eyes, doing her best to make her expression more relaxed and peaceful, like her arms weren't threatening to give out on her.

"Next!"

Trying to move her head back a little further, Sakura eyed the space above Itachi's shoulders thoughtfully before taking a chance, bringing her legs over her head and easing her feet onto the ground. She was certain Sasuke nearly had a heart attack, but she paid him no mind, straightening up. Itachi had trusted her, even strengthening his hands while she moved, supporting her, helping her complete the flip.

It'd been a while since she last did any kind of gymnastics, though she was pleasantly surprised to find that her body was still able to manage the tricks. Did she still have the courage to perform a standing back tuck, or an ordinary back tuck? Probably not, no. As a kid, she'd been daring, not thinking about the consequences should she fall the wrong way. Now, it was all she could think about. Broken bones weren't fun.

"You can get up for this one, Itachi."

He seemed happy for the news – not that she could really blame him. Up until that point, he'd merely been a prop for her to perform the poses on.

"Get a good look at this one," ordered Sasuke and he held out the tablet, making Sakura's heart skip a beat at the new pose. "Do you think you can handle it?"

No, she wanted to say. No, she didn't think she could do it.

Instead, Sakura nodded, trying her best to smile. "We won't know unless we try, right?"

Wordlessly nodding, Itachi got into position, bending his knees though keeping them together, waiting for Sakura patiently. It was with great trepidation that she planted one foot on his thigh, hands coming to his shoulders for balance and while she moved into position, Itachi's hands came to her legs, holding her in place, allowing Sakura to place the heel of her foot on his shoulder. She kept her legs straightened, foot still using his thigh to balance on, the other on his shoulder, before closing her eyes and putting all of her trust in Itachi and her own upper body strength.

It was only when she was leaning backwards as far as she could physically bend that she opened her eyes, grinning at her own accomplishment. Cheekily, she made the victory sign, until she felt _where_ Itachi's hand was, making her blush terribly, nearly causing herself to fall. In order to keep some form of control over how far she went back, his hand remained on the very top of her thigh, the pressure doing weird things to her and she bit her lip. The hold had tightened when she startled, shifting to adjust to the movement.

"Try the 'OK' sign instead, Sakura."

She did it without hesitation, for the simple fact that she wanted to get down.

"Next!"

"This one is simpler," informed Sasuke as he stood beneath her, waiting until Sakura righted herself, once more holding onto Itachi's shoulders before stepping down, trying her best not to look him in the eye. "And I'm sure you can both do it."

The picture he showed her allowed Sakura to take a breather and she instantly got into position, taking calm, even breaths as she stood straight and lifted her leg behind herself at a ninety degree angle, bending with it until her back was flat, level with her leg. Only when she was certain that her balance was okay did Sakura start bending backwards, grabbing at her foot before it could escape her. Her back was a perfect arch, foot held tight in her grasp.

Itachi had been copying while she was busy focusing on her own pose, assessing the distance between them before he was reaching out, their hands coming together in a firm grasp.

Much to her embarrassment, she felt heat spreading across her cheeks as she held eye contact with him, and it took everything within herself not to bite her lip or show her restlessness.

"How many poses do you want?" Sasuke drawled, looking over in Kurotsuchi's direction.

"Three more," she replied distractedly, too busy taking pictures from different angles. "Next!"

Getting out of their pose was much simpler than the rest and Sakura shook herself out, doing a brief stretch to make sure she didn't grow stiff.

It was surprising how flexible Itachi was, as she hadn't pictured him as being such and she wondered if it had any ties to his knowledge on ballet. Was he a ballerina? Had he been one at some point in his life? Or did he simply admire the dance? There was no time to ask, as they were being shown their next pose, deciding to get straight into it.

"Remember in the gym, Sakura?" Sasuke questioned, holding his hand out for her to stop when she'd been about to move. "When you were helping me?"

The memory was mostly a pleasant one and she nodded, fighting back her blush. "You want me to do that now?"

At his nod, she waited until Itachi was in a push up position before moving, hesitating for a brief moment. It felt odd doing the same thing with Itachi that she'd been doing with Sasuke – not uncomfortable, strangely enough. Just… odd. And as she lowered herself on top of Itachi, bodies pressed together, she felt her skin heat up considerably when it came into contact with his. She tried to ignore it, her arms coming around his midsection rather than his neck, her eyes trained on the picture.

"Itachi, do a push up."

Once his arms were fully extended, he held the pose, and she took that as her cue to move again, using her core to lift her lower half, back arching at the very base. It took a few extra moments to perfect it, her toes inches from the back of her head.

"Move slowly, nii-san," ordered Sasuke and she felt him hovering again. "If you can't balance yourself, leave it. We'll move onto another."

It made her smile despite the position she was in witnessing how protective Sasuke was being of her, how wary he was of her being harmed. After all, if Itachi lost his balance and happened to fall forward, he would either flip them and land on top of her, or he would flip himself and they would land on her head. Either way, her neck would take some serious damage.

"You're still ridiculous asking this of them," snapped Deidara and she noticed him also coming closer, standing on their other side. Did he realise the danger her neck was in? "You should have hired professionals for this."

"Not helping," Sakura told him through gritted teeth.

Keeping her core tight as she felt Itachi moving, her arms flexed, strengthening their hold.

And then Itachi was copying her position, though with less of an arch as his back continued to support her, his legs momentarily brushing along hers. She heard Sasuke and Deidara moving away quickly, allowing Kurotsuchi to take more pictures and she breathed out shakily.

"Are you okay?"

She was surprised he was even talking to her – yesterday, he'd been reluctant to do so, only talking to keep up appearances that all was well between them.

Staying as still as possible, she replied, "Warm."

"There are two more poses." There was a moment of pause in his words and she felt him strengthening his position, allowing her to rest more against him. Gratefully, she took full advantage of his kindness. "If you wish, I can ask-"

"No, I can do it," she told him determinedly.

"Very well."

With a near silent grunt, Itachi managed to ease not only himself, but her weight too, gently back into the push up position, soon lowering himself until he was flat on the yoga mat.

"Do either of you need a break?" questioned Sasuke when he returned to their sides. "Your bodies are under pressure they've never endured before."

Yes, they were, but they needed to get on with it. There were only two poses left. They could–

"_Fine_, Deidara-nii-san," Kurotsuchi finally snapped and stood up straight, dropping her camera and leaving it to hang around her neck. "Guys, that's enough of couple's yoga. We'll move onto something else. Take an hour to get something to eat."

She'd been in the middle of moving away from Itachi when Kurotsuchi yelled and hearing that she was moving on from the couple's yoga idea, she felt all fight vanish, leaving Sakura to collapse back on top of Itachi.

"Help," she muttered weakly, trying to laugh.

_Everything hurt._

"I knew you'd be in pain," Sasuke growled in annoyance towards the photographer.

Beneath her, Itachi shifted, resting on his elbows and turning his head to the side to look at her, asking, "Are you okay, Sakura-san?"

Not really, she wanted to whine. "I'll be fine."

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up, then without a care rolled off Itachi with a huff, laying on her back to stare up at the bright sky above them.

"What about you?" she asked, tilting her head to see him better. Itachi also rolled onto his back, breathing out a deep sigh. Other than the sigh, he seemed unaffected by it all. "I'm sorry for throwing myself down on you like that."

"Your body was under a great amount of strain," he replied simply.

Yes, it had been, though her body had surprised her immensely by bending fairly easily. If she continued to do tricks and poses such as those, how flexible would she become? Would she grow more confident in her own body's abilities?

"Sasuke-kun?" Wordlessly, he knelt beside her, waiting for her to continue. "Thank you for helping us. I think we would've had to let Kurotsuchi-san down, had you not been here."

He smirked lightly. "Don't thank me. I enjoyed being the brother who orders the other around for once."

Much to her surprise, Itachi also smirked, murmuring, "Do not get used to it, Sasuke."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find the yoga poses on my Pinterest! My username is Rise of the Blossom (https://www.pinterest.co.uk/riseoftheblossom/) and the board's called RSOF - THE PHOTO SHOOT (https://www.pinterest.co.uk/riseoftheblossom/rsof-the-photo-shoot/)


	14. I Need Your Love

**Chapter 14**

**I Need Your Love**

* * *

By the time their break was over, Naruto managed to drag himself out of bed, meaning it was time for them to leave.

Sighing, she relaxed in her boyfriend's arms, grateful for the privacy. Had they not been alone, she seriously doubted that he would have embraced her for so long. He definitely wouldn't have kissed her.

"When you're home, we'll go on another date," he told her and leaned forward, kissing her deeply, making her arch into him. Gods, she loved it when he kissed her like that.

And the date sounded like perfection to her, especially after their last one. "Are you going straight home or are you going on a road trip?"

Sasuke shrugged, his expression uncaring, like it didn't matter to him what he was doing with the rest of his weekend. It worried her, if she was being completely honest. Uchiha Sasuke _hated_ wasting his time. It was too precious to him. For him not to care, was… It wasn't natural.

"Well, call me," she said, a little awkwardly. "Whichever you decide to do."

He was the worst at goodbyes, Sakura reminded herself as she watched the pair leave, trying to ignore the ache in her heart when Sasuke didn't look back. Had their situations been reversed, she knew she would've looked back. She would've _ran_ back, wanting one last hug.

It only briefly worried Sakura that she was grateful for Itachi's presence when she returned to the dressing room, biting the inside of her cheek in a sad attempt to remain strong.

Whenever they said goodbye, she was always left with the pessimistic thoughts (she refused to call them realisations, because she knew it was only her paranoia) of her love being greater than Sasuke's – not that she could really call it love, as he'd never said the words to her. Was it more appropriate to say she liked him more? Or was she supposed to settle with her feelings being stronger? Probably the latter, Sakura decided while throwing herself down in a chair opposite Itachi's. It made her seem less pathetic.

"They are gone?" She nodded. Then, much to her displeasure, Itachi sighed and pocketed his phone, telling her, "We must talk about it at some point, Sakura-san."

"I just want to forget it," she replied tiredly. On her lap, her fingers played with the spandex-like material her outfit was made out of. "And pretend like it never happened."

Every time she recalled those moments, her heart was on the very border of entering dangerous territory. The thought of Itachi's hands on her waist _shouldn't_ send shivers down her spine. The thought of them holding hands _shouldn't_ make her feel warm. The thought of them kissing (or nearly kissing) _shouldn't_ make her stomach flutter.

Sakura averted her eyes, swallowing and focusing on the artificial plant in the corner of the dressing room. It'd been a dining room previously but the furniture was moved around for the photo shoot, transforming it entirely. The table was shoved up against the wall beneath the massive, luxury mirror, acting as a dressing table, with a couple of the dining chairs scattered around for them to relax in between sets.

"It would be for the best," he agreed. "Though, I can't help but think this has changed our friendship."

Without a doubt. While she couldn't speak for him, Sakura was willing to admit that she was more alert of Itachi now – was that the right word? Alert? Perhaps wary was better? No, because she wasn't wary. No, her heart – or maybe just her body – was on high alert whenever he was close.

Their second photo shoot, with the couple's yoga, hadn't even worked to keep her distracted. For the most part, sure, otherwise she could've seriously harmed herself or Itachi. But whenever they had to hold the poses, whenever he first touched her, it was like her skin heated up and she was terrified of it being obvious to the others, too. Obviously, Itachi would know about it. How could he not when he was the one holding her? He would feel the difference, right? He could feel that heat between them too, right?

What if he couldn't? She looked back to him, frowning. What if he _didn't_ feel that heat and it was only her? That… was better, she supposed. If it was totally one-sided, it was easily dealt with. She could brush it under the rug. However, if it was coming from both sides, what was she supposed to do? Avoid him? Avoid someone who'd become a friend? A confidant? Who would she go to for advice? For help?

"I don't want it to," Sakura admitted and her frown returned.

For once, his eyes were expressive to her, telling her that he felt the same way. But more than that, they expressed to her that… She wasn't sure. But it looked how she felt on the inside: confused, but longing. Attracted, but determined. Neither of them would hurt Sasuke, she realised in that moment and for that, her shoulders relaxed somewhat.

"Neither do I."

* * *

Resting one hand on his shoulder and the other on his hip, legs folded and feet tucked in, Sakura steadied herself, making sure her body was relaxed but alert as Itachi extended his arms, performing the push up and holding the position for Kurotsuchi.

Unlike when she'd done the same for her boyfriend, there was no struggle in Itachi's body. It was surprising to her, as she'd always assumed Sasuke to be the stronger of the two due to having the bigger muscles. Itachi was lither, he was lean, whereas her boyfriend was going after raw strength and power.

The set they were currently using was inside the cabin and she guessed it was why the break had been so long – they'd had to set it up. All bedroom furniture was removed from the plainest of the guest bedrooms, replaced by gym equipment that they had to pose on. It wasn't the best makeshift gym she'd ever seen and it was laughable when compared to the Uchiha's home gym. She wondered if Itachi was thinking along the same lines as herself, as several times, she noticed him looking around himself, eyes contemplative.

"Are you willing to try a different kind of pose?" Kurotsuchi asked her suddenly. When she nodded warily, the woman smiled encouragingly and told Itachi to lower himself to the ground. It was only then that she told her, "Stay on his back, but hold your legs out straight. Yeah, like that."

She shifted her position, giving Itachi's shoulder a brief squeeze to tell him she was ready when he was. Again, there was no struggle, despite how long he'd been holding the previous position for.

"Cross your legs, like you're sitting on a chair."

It felt weird thinking of Itachi as a chair, but she did as directed, crossing her legs and because she kind of understood where Kurotsuchi was headed with her directions, Sakura sat up straighter, hands coming to rest on Itachi's side behind her, chest sticking out. She looked down on the camera, shoulders squared, head tilted ever so slightly to give the impression that she was above them all.

"That's it!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed. "Hold that position, Sakura!"

Being praised so enthusiastically made it near impossible to hold onto her seriousness, but somehow she managed, remaining professional as she stared the camera down. After the third flash, she tested the waters by favouring her right arm, applying more pressure on Itachi's shoulders by leaning that way.

"Hiroki-san," Kurotsuchi suddenly demanded. "Get over here and get her hair down."

"Kurotsuchi-san, it's going to look bumpy-"

"Just do it, before she loses that confidence!"

Her chest swelled with pride towards herself and it grew even harder to remain serious. She allowed herself a moment of pause while the hair stylist did what she could with her hair, grinning over in Deidara's direction when he looked to her, impressed. As expected, there was the tell-tale signs of her hair being up for several hours, but determinedly, Hiroki worked hard on it, straightening and straightening and straightening, until Sakura was certain she was going to have dead ends right up to her roots.

"I'll give you a deep conditioning treatment once we're done," the stylist informed her.

Good. Modelling was fun and all, and she loved being the cause for that look in Kurotsuchi's eyes as the visions she'd had in her mind came true, but it was _so_ not worth having dead hair.

Once Kurotsuchi began taking pictures again, she told her, "Don't feel like you can't change poses while I'm taking pictures, Sakura. I'll tell you if I need you to hold a pose."

Nodding, she once more leaned on Itachi's shoulders, holding the pose for a moment before running a hand through her hair, head tilting back.

"That boyfriend of yours is never coming on set again," she muttered behind her camera, grinning. "You get too nervous."

There was a knowing expression on Deidara's face, but she paid him no mind, instead telling Itachi, "I'm gonna try moving. Do you want to lay down for it?"

He replied with a single nod, lowering himself to the ground. She took her time laying flat on his back, allowing him a break without bringing attention to it, before tapping his shoulder, telling him she was ready, all the while her heart was beating erratically.

Once his arms were extended, she crossed her ankles, bending her knees and bringing her feet into the air, head in one hand, other hand trailing its index finger down the Itachi's shoulder blade. Whether she took him by surprise or not was unknown, though she couldn't deny the butterflies that took over when she noticed his goosebumps. Once she was certain Kurotsuchi had the picture, she warned Itachi she was moving again, before doing so, hands positioning themselves carefully on his shoulder blades, wary of causing him pain. Then, placing her feet on his calves, she pushed up, doing a push up on top of his.

"Okay, let's try something else," said Kurotsuchi, allowing them a few moments to get up.

Sakura smiled up at Itachi, said smile widening at the pride in his eyes. Of course, he would have been able to see the poses she'd been doing due to the floor-to-ceiling mirrors on the opposite side of the room, allowing them to get comfortable with how they looked during the photo shoot – well, it helped Sakura, anyway.

"Can you do pull ups?"

She'd believed the question to have been spoken to Itachi, but when he watched her, raising an expectant eyebrow, Sakura cursed herself mentally for focusing on him instead of their surroundings, fighting back a blush.

"Yeah."

"Have you ever tried doing a pull up _on_ someone?"

What the hell kind of question was that? Sakura's mind blanked, trying to think of how that would even work and her cheeks _raged_ as she thought of her legs hooking over Itachi's shoulders. When she pulled herself up, his face would be between her…

"No!" she snapped, wide eyes going to Itachi's. He seemed slightly taken aback too, much to her relief. "I'm not doing a pull up from his shoulders."

And then, to her utter horror, Kurotsuchi also blushed and Sakura's increased in intensity when she heard Deidara laughing. "N-Not on his shoulders," she told the younger woman. "At least, not facing him." Sakura breathed out a deep sigh, willing her rampaging heart to calm down. "Gods, Sakura, your mind is filthy."

"What? No, I just-"

But she had already dropped herself in it. Knowing that, she fell silent, pouting up at Itachi, eyes apologetic. Gods, why had she made such a scene? Calling it embarrassing was too much of an understatement.

Deciding it was best to move on before she caused herself further embarrassment, Sakura walked around Itachi. Apparently, he already had an idea of how Kurotsuchi wanted them to pose, because he didn't kneel, he squatted, making her pause as she questioned his balance. She shouldn't have, considering how steady he'd been during the yoga poses, but it was only natural to be cautious, right?

There was no getting rid of her blush, though fortunately for her, everyone assumed it was from her mess up only moments ago. It made it easier for her to hook her legs over his shoulders until she was seated on them, for him to hold onto said legs, keeping Sakura steady as he stood from his squat. His hold was tight, strong and she felt that dreaded stomach flip in response to his hands on her thighs, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. It was impossible, given how close they were.

"Only do it if you feel ready," Itachi told her. His stance was secure, prepared, his legs still in the position that would allow him to perform a squat, back straight, arms tense.

First, she had to calm herself the hell down. Relaxing her body, as she certainly didn't want to cause him more difficulty, she began leaning back, further and further until their backs were touching, her hair suddenly in her face before it was all above her head.

"Damn it," Kurotsuchi suddenly snapped. "How the hell did we forget that? Hiroki-san, get-"

"Already here." The stylist made quick work of fixing her hair, setting it into a messy bun on the top of her head. "How's that?"

"It'll do."

But it wasn't what she had envisioned.

Oh well, Sakura thought to herself, face no doubt bright red at that point as she felt all the blood rushing to her head. It was a rookie mistake but instinctual that she held her breath when coming back up, core tight as she used her upper body muscles, arms crossed over her chest. Itachi's support was flawless, she thought to herself, keeping her expression as neutral as possible because of the camera. While she was used to doing the occasional set of pull ups with Sasuke, she wasn't used to doing them _on_ somebody.

Possibly sensing that, Itachi took her breath away by giving a warning squeeze on her thighs, holding her still, suddenly lowering himself into a squat.

"Perfect!"

"I don't think I'll be able to move after this photo shoot," Sakura huffed, leaning backwards again once he was stood up straight.

There was a chuckle in response from Itachi and he told her, "At least you can say you didn't skip exercise for today."

He was on about her running. She smiled, though paused in her reply, once more pulling herself up. It was harder that time, but his unwavering support and secure hold on her legs helped. "I might have to skip it tomorrow at this rate."

"We'll move to the equipment now, I think," Kurotsuchi informed them. "It'll give you both a break."

She sighed with relief, though squealed when instead of squatting, Itachi reached higher up her legs, taking her by surprise when he managed to shift her around his shoulders until she was sat on one with an undoubtedly awkward balance. Then, he pulled, allowing her to fall into his arms.

Sakura could only look up at him in stunned silence, yet another blush rapidly colouring her cheeks. Would she ever go back to her ordinary colour? She doubted it, especially when he looked at her like that, with that look from the dressing room, the one that twisted her stomach before it exploded with flutters, her breath catching.

Maybe she stayed too long in that position, being held in his arms in the bridal style, because there was suddenly another flash of the camera.

Neither of them noticed.

* * *

As expected, she was in agony. They hadn't prepared for those kinds of workouts. She hadn't eased her body into such (in her eyes) extreme workouts, when she was used to cardio with only the occasional strength workout.

At least one good thing had come out of the experience, though – two, if they were including her new boost in confidence. She and Itachi were slowly but surely moving on from the awkward tension between them, deciding to ignore it.

"So," she began, massaging her calves. "Are you ever going to tell me how you know ballet terminology?"

There was a momentary pause in his sitting down on the bed. Part of her knew that it was inappropriate and, due to their previous interactions, it was risky too. However, the door was open and neither of them were willing to hurt Sasuke. They wanted to remain friends and friends hung out with each other without issue, right? She was able to sit in a bedroom with Naruto without wanting to jump him so why–

Her cheeks warmed at the crass thought and she focused more intensely on her muscles, expression shielded by her hair.

Itachi sat down and she could feel him watching her as she sat on the floor, legs bent at the knees, spread apart, allowing her to stretch out in a cooldown exercise as well as massage her aching muscles. "My mother used to enjoy ballet."

Had she? She'd never told her such a thing and she'd known the woman for five years now. Frowning, Sakura looked up and asked, "But not anymore?"

"No," he answered with a sigh. "She was once the best ballerina of her class and I accompanied her to several of them, for she believed it gave her an opportunity to share one of her greatest passions with me, allowing us to bond through it." There was a but coming and it sickened her, for she knew exactly where it was going. "Father did not know until he was invited to a recital. When he saw me perform on stage with Mother, he walked out."

Bastard, she wanted to snarl. It was so obvious why Fugaku had been against it. Traditional men always worried about it, always shied away or grew angry when their sons took part in something that wasn't one hundred and twenty percent masculine. "He was worried you would be gay."

"Yes." There was another sigh before Itachi sat in front of her, surprising her as he held out his hands, allowing her to hold onto them and finish stretching out, her sigh of relief when her joints cracked like they'd been begging to all damn day making him smile faintly. "Mother was never the same after that weekend. Father sent me to my uncle's-"

"Madara?" she gasped in shock, pausing in straightening her legs out.

He smiled at that and released her hands, holding her knees, pinning them instead, allowing her face to reach the ground fully. Once she had, he eased her legs into straightening further. Much to her utter delight, she noticed a vast difference in her flexibility. A few more workouts like the ones they had earlier and she would be able to do the splits again, like when she and Ino were kids.

"No, a different uncle. I was there for a few weeks. When I returned, Mother refused to dance."

She could only guess at what kind of punishment she'd been forced to endure. It sickened her just thinking about how long Itachi was sent away for, making her heart ache viciously when she thought about how badly he'd harmed her.

"How old were you?" she questioned, voice quiet.

"Four."

Her blood turned cold, head snapping up. There was only five years between the brothers. "During that time…?"

He nodded once and looked down at the little space between them. Even when she straightened her back to look up at him, he didn't meet her eye.

"During that time, Sasuke was conceived."

"Did…" Sakura swallowed hard, the dread that was running up and down her spine sickening her. "Was it…?"

"Rape?" he asked quietly. Slowly, gently, he released her legs, allowing her to come out of the near-split position, sitting with his back against the bed. "I don't know. It is not my place to ask."

And it was hardly a discussion Mikoto would want to have with her son. Gods, her heart went out to the woman, for Sakura couldn't imagine what hell she'd been through in her lifetime. It was all speculative, she knew that, but during those few weeks alone that Itachi was not there, she was more than likely beaten, mentally and emotionally tortured and then, the worst possible thing that could happen to a person: raped. But not just raped, impregnated. A product of rape. Sasuke was–

No, if that had happened–

Then, what?

"You have to understand, Sakura-san, that Sasuke can never know."

Like she would even bring up how he was conceived under normal circumstances! "Have you ever told anyone?"

"Relatives have their suspicions – of the abuse, not about Sasuke." Dark eyes averted from hers, his eyebrows coming together. "For all their suspicions, however, they never intervened while we were growing up. They allowed it to happen. They witnessed the change in my mother and never questioned what was happening."

"What about her family?" she asked softly. It hurt her seeing such… What look was that? Gods, it was difficult to place. He looked pained. Lost. Alone. How much had he seen in his lifetime? "Didn't they notice?"

"I have never met my mother's side of the family."

She was at the complete mercy of Fugaku, Sakura realised brokenly and she bit the inside of her cheek, willing away the sting of her eyes. Was that why she stayed? Was it because she had no-one else to go to?

Why had she never noticed the level of abuse before? After all the times they'd spent together, after all the holidays and the sleepovers and whatever else, why had she never noticed the abuse? Was it–

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath. "Your mom always invited me over because your dad controlled himself while I was there."

Understanding flitted over his features, like he suddenly had the answer to a puzzle he'd struggled with for a long while. "I never understood why they allowed you to stay over. It is hardly appropriate, given your relationship with Sasuke."

It made her feel sick. "It was to keep up appearances."

In a way, she'd become a safety net, of sorts, for Mikoto. Whenever she stayed, the woman was spared abuse. It was why she filled the drawers full of stuff for her in case of a last-minute stay over, why she was always so happy to see her.

There was no holding back the tears.

"Sakura-san…"

She shook her head, knees coming up to her chest. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

"Do not feel as though you must shoulder this burden."

Was he for real? Shooting onto her knees, she snapped, "I was the only thing stopping the abuse-"

"No, you put it on hold-"

"Either way, it stopped because I was there," she yelled at him, sobbing. "And then I stopped staying because of everything with Sasuke-kun. Who knows-"

"It is not your responsibility-"

"I-"

When she sobbed again, arms came around her and she all but collapsed into him, unable to control the crying.

"You do not deserve this pressure," he told her seriously, comfortingly. The arms around her tightened, his chin coming to rest on the top of her head. "It is not your burden."

She didn't and it wasn't, but that didn't change facts, did it? While she sunned herself in their lavish garden, worked out in the gym, stayed at their house like she was part of their family, she unknowingly acted like a shield. With her around, to keep up the pretences of being a respectable family, to have her as an ally should Fugaku ever be questioned, Mikoto was untouchable.

How the hell did she withstand that kind of pressure? It was as Itachi's hand came to the back of her head, stroking her hair, that Sakura realised she couldn't. She couldn't withstand that pressure. Every time Mikoto invited her over in the future, she would know and she would feel obligated to drop any and all plans. Hell, she wouldn't even wait for an invitation. She would invite herself over.

"Sakura-san," he called out to her and pulled back, hands on the sides of her head to make eye contact. She wished he wouldn't – Ino had repeatedly warned her that she was an ugly crier. "This is not your burden."

"It is," she cried.

"No, it's not," Itachi told her firmly, looking like he was just barely holding back from scowling. "My dysfunctional family is controlling your life and breaking you apart as it is. I won't allow for my mother to use you as a crutch."

But that was…

"Sakura."

Having him addressing her so directly, without the use of any honorifics, knocked her out of her self-pity and stress. Teary, green eyes stared up at him, widening as she realised how close they actually were, her breath catching the second she realised she could feel his mixing with it.

The look in his eyes was stern, it held a clear warning, but for the life of her, she couldn't focus on it.

"Don't let them drag you further down," he murmured to her after several moments. Was he suddenly aware of the close proximity, too? Was that why he'd paused? "You deserve better than that."

All she could do was nod, too lost in his demanding aura that dominated all senses, leaving her to meet his eyes unsurely.

He really had received all the best genes from the proud Uchiha name, Sakura thought numbly and she reached out, fingers tracing his well-defined jawline, the aristocratic nose and cheekbones, but… Her eyes returned to his, fingertips lingering on his cheeks. His eyes were indescribable. They were heartbreakingly beautiful and she wanted to explore them further, to truly understand the emotions that he tried so hard to bury, to see what those eyes looked like when he truly smiled and laughed and cried and…

"Sakura, this…"

The words trailed off when she looked to his lips, watching how they moved as he spoke. Why did it send a spark through her, hearing him saying her name without any honorifics? Why did it make her stomach flutter seeing how her name fell from his lips?

Her eyes shut when Itachi tenderly brushed her tears away. It was difficult thinking clearly when he looked at her like that, with that single look that told her he was experiencing so many overwhelming emotions. She was…

Hand slipping from his cheek to his chest, she didn't stop him when he leaned forward, their noses brushing, her lips parting, ready, willing, _needing–_

"_Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted. Don't come searching when I go missing. Close your eyes or just try to look away! Don't want to hurt you."_

And just like that, the mood was shattered and she pulled away like she'd been burned, falling on her ass in her haste. Itachi seemed just as shocked at their actions, his hands falling to his knees, dark eyes wide as they remained locked on hers.

"_We live in a world someone else imagined. The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished."_

Thankful for the distraction, she turned, almost frantically searching for her phone, following the sound of it ringing. But then she saw who was calling and her heart stuttered.

"It's Sasuke-kun."

"_Remember my heart, how bright I used to shine–"_

The phone was taken from her, the button on the side of the phone silencing it, though allowing it to continue ringing. It would make Sasuke think they were still in the middle of a photo shoot without arousing any suspicions–

Gods, what the hell was she thinking?

He was standing too close again, Sakura thought to herself, swallowing hard. But if she moved, she would fall back onto the bed and the feeling of the back of her knees bumping into the mattress solidified that thought.

"Is this a heat of the moment thing, too?" she asked quietly, unable to speak any louder than a whisper. Was it because she was scared of somebody walking in? Somebody overhearing them and seeing the position they were in? Gods, the door _was open_. "Itachi?"

At her words, he took a step back, allowing her to move away from the bed and she did so gratefully, putting as much distance between them as possible without actually leaving the room. Like Itachi had told her yesterday: they needed to talk about it. Things couldn't be left to fester, otherwise it would all no doubt come out at some point – knowing her luck, it would be in front of Sasuke, too.

"Yes," said Itachi seriously and he sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. "We are both in a state of emotional upset. It's only natural that we seek comfort from one another."

Comfort? That was all it was? Frowning, Sakura slowly approached him and sat beside Itachi. It only went to prove how immature she was when it came to relationships and lust then, didn't it? She couldn't even identify the differences between them. How childish did she seem to him? Gods, she wanted to laugh at herself.

"Maybe we should try and avoid being in the heat of the moment, then," Sakura said with a twitch of her lips, trying to smile. "Before we end up hurting the person we love most."

"And if we can't?" he questioned, glancing down at her. "What do you suggest then?"

Well, they… She shrugged. They had to. For Sasuke's sake, they had to avoid ever getting into that predicament, had to avoid all possibilities of betraying him in the worst way.

They could do that.

* * *

Less than twenty-four hours later and Sakura was sitting down at the dining table with the Uchiha family once more, though much to utter delight, Naruto had joined them, too.

There'd been a split-second pause when he first entered and saw Mikoto's face, because while it had certainly healed considerably over the past couple of days and her makeup worked fairly well, it was still noticeable. Sasuke must have warned him prior to their return from their road trip, however, because he didn't comment on it, merely sent a dark glare in Fugaku's direction – one that was, unsurprisingly, ignored.

They had arrived just as dinner was being dished out, taking all of five seconds to join the rest of them at the table. Until that point, Mikoto had been politely asking how their weekend had gone and whether it was something they wanted to do more of. It surprised her, as Sakura hadn't thought his parents knew what they were doing, though she supposed it was better to explain that rather than disappearing with her boyfriend's older brother for an entire weekend.

"Sasuke-kun really saved us at one point," explained Sakura and she smiled at her boyfriend from across the table. "They wanted us to do yoga poses and you should have seen some of them, Mikoto-san. I felt like a contortionist."

She looked vaguely surprised, meeting her eldest son's eye. "You took part, Itachi? I assumed you were merely there as a guardian."

He simply nodded his response.

It didn't surprise Sakura, now that she knew about his past and how his bastard of a father thought. Yes, people were entitled to their own opinions and sure, it was a free country, he could say and think whatever the hell he wanted. But to beat the shit out of his wife because he didn't want his son partaking in ballet? Because he was scared of his only son (at the time, anyway) being gay?

"What was the rest of it like?" Naruto asked, too busy focusing on shovelling the next mouthful of food in to pay any real attention to them.

"Fairly simple." Was there a deeper meaning to his question? Was there a reason why he stole a glance at her? Yes, there had to be, because there was a suspicious glint in his eyes. "Basic stuff, really. We posed with some gym equipment and had to perform a few workout things."

Sasuke's interest was clearly piqued when he asked, "What did you have to do?"

"Nothing too much," she told him. "I had to do pull ups, though."

There was a minute hint of disapproval in his expression, much to her surprise, though it was gone before the rest of his family could see it. No doubts it was because of how much pain she'd been in before he left.

"Itachi had to do a few push ups, too. Oh, and squats!"

"Did you enjoy yourselves?"

She smiled brightly at Mikoto's question, answering truthfully with, "Definitely."

"That is the most important part," she told them, pausing in speaking as she had another mouthful of food. "Enjoying yourselves and making positive memories. Speaking of which," she then said, smiling at her youngest son. "Sasuke, I have arranged a party for your eighteenth birthday."

Oh, he didn't like the idea of a party at all, Sakura could tell. However, he masked the disliking well, offering a small smile in his mother's direction. "Thank you. Have you already invited people?"

The woman nodded, frowning minutely before the lines smoothed out. Did it hurt to frown? That brief flash in her eyes told her it was a possibility and Sakura had to look away, scowling down at her food. Just sitting in Fugaku's presence made her skin crawl now. "I invited your classmates and family. Is that okay?"

"Yes," he replied, surprising Sakura with how relaxed he was being considering he disliked parties. They were too crowded for him. "I only ask because I would like to invite a few others – we only recently became friends."

Sakura frowned at that. Who had he become friends with that she didn't know?

He nodded in Itachi's direction. "When we went to the theme park, I got on well with Nii-san's friends. I want to extend the invitation to them, too."

That seemed to please Itachi, she noticed, as he smiled faintly over in his direction. Of course, he would know better than anyone how much Sasuke used to dislike his friends. Hell, during Itachi's 'Welcome Home' party, Sasuke had all but dragged her away from them, saying they weren't to be trusted, like they were part of some top secret, highly dangerous organisation that would kill her.

"Of course," Mikoto said, equally pleased. "I shall contact them tomorrow to inform them."

His birthday was in just a week's time, Sakura wanted to argue. It wasn't as simple as people just turning up – they had to book it off work. She already had. In fact, it was one of her first requests when she was given more holidays at the start of the tax year. Sasuke's, Naruto's and her own birthdays, along with their anniversary weekend. The rest she either scattered about or saved for important occasions.

Already, she had his presents, card and the perfect outfit picked out. Gods, she was probably more excited than him, although that had always been the case with them. It no longer bothered her like it once had, as she knew Sasuke expressed his excitement in other ways, or simply didn't want to show how much he was looking forward to something.

When dinner was over, Mikoto asked the dreaded question of whether she would like to stay, but just as Sakura opened her mouth, trying not to show her uncertainty or reluctance, Itachi had spoken up, supposedly reminding her of her promise to her own mother. They were supposed to be going shopping early in the morning. Part of Sakura felt incredibly guilty, truly she did, but even Sasuke didn't seem overly fond of the idea of her staying. Had he caught on? Had he always known? There was no use in questioning him – he would only grow defensive and refuse to answer. Instead, she settled on saying her goodbyes at the same time as Naruto, the pair of them leaving together, walking towards their own cars in companionable silence until he destroyed it.

"How did it really go?"

Was that another accusation in his eyes? "Do you really think that lowly of me?" questioned Sakura as she grabbed his arm, forcing him to come to a stop with her. "Do you really think I'd hurt Sasuke-kun like that?"

His eyes were narrowed, expression wary. "You didn't see how you were looking at each other, Sakura-chan. You-"

"We were acting," she snapped in disbelief. Gods, she would've yelled if she knew it wouldn't attract the attention of others. "We had to pretend that it was our wedding day for Kurotsuchi-san. It'd be kind of ridiculous if we didn't look like we liked each other, wouldn't it?"

That seemed to throw him off a little, but there was still that worry in his eyes. "Promise, Sakura-chan. Promise nothing's happening."

"I honestly thought there was no-one who knew me better than you," she told him, unlocking her car with a push of a button on her keys. Taking a step back, she frowned at him, shaking her head. "You, of all people, know how much I love Sasuke-kun and how much I put up with."

"You could've grown tired of him," he tried to reason.

"I'm going," she announced, already sliding into her seat and shutting the door. Seconds later and it was opening again. "Naruto, go away-"

"No."

Idiot! "You can't insinuate that I'm cheating on Sasuke-kun with his _brother_ and demand that I stand around and talk to you." Grabbing the door handle, she looked at his hand before her eyes snapped his and she warned him, "I'm shutting the door. Move your hand or lose it."

It wasn't until she started to move the door that Naruto released it, taking a step back.

She drove off without another word.

* * *

Frowning at the feeling of her phone vibrating in her pocket, Sakura ducked, pretending to fold clothes as she checked the text message. Part of her hoped it would be Naruto, as they'd hardly spoken since their argument outside the Uchiha Manor. It broke her heart realising it was the longest they'd gone without talking and what made it worse was the fact Sakura _knew_ it was because of her own selfishness. It was because of the semi-truth behind Naruto's accusations.

Being back at work sucked. The heat was inescapable, her uniform making it thrice as much so and no matter what part of the store she went to, it was all stale air. Gods, the fitting rooms were the worst and she pitied the poor souls who were stuck in there.

_Are you free?_ – Itachi.

Minutely, her eyes widened, surprise filling her before she quickly tapped out a response, informing Itachi that she was stuck at work until closing.

Before she even had the chance to stand, her phone was buzzing again.

_Kurotsuchi-san called. She has the photographs and wishes to meet with us. _– Itachi.

She hadn't heard much from the woman – hadn't heard anything, actually. Sakura had assumed that she was busy selecting her favourite photographs and editing them. Had that not been the case? Was she in regular contact with Itachi?

It wasn't any of her business.

Maybe his dating Kurotsuchi would help, she thought after a few moments. It would certainly keep those heat of the moments at bay, since they would never be close enough for that to happen. Then again, Sakura would have thought the fact that she was in a relationship with his younger brother would have done that, since Sasuke was someone they both loved dearly.

Gods, they were awful people.

Had she been avoiding Itachi? Not entirely, but kind of. She hadn't been lying when she told him that she didn't want all that had happened to change their friendship, but it had. There was no escaping that, because there was always, always, going to be something that caused her to need comfort. What if she went to him again? What if he comforted her, like he always did as of late, and it escalated? Itachi said that it was emotional upset spurred on by the heat of the moment. In her relationship, there were many emotionally upsetting moments.

Damn it, why couldn't she just have better self-control? What was it about Itachi that stripped her bare like that? That forced her to confront the ugliest parts of herself?

_When?_ She tapped out.

Standing, Sakura smiled sweetly at her supervisor who suddenly went by, too busy on her phone to acknowledge her properly. It aggravated her that they got away with doing it so openly when the sales assistants (such as herself) would receive disciplinary action if they were caught. Knowing there was no use in raising a dispute, Sakura kept her head down, but like hell she would let them walk all over her. Of course, she didn't use it out in the open, but there were many hiding spots in the store.

While waiting for a reply, she strolled through her given area of the store, pretending to look busy by occasionally organising piles of jeans, putting a couple of them back on their hangers. In all honestly, she couldn't be bothered with her job anymore. There was enough in her savings account to get her through university, should she choose to study in Konoha and once the payment for the photo shoot came in, she would be more than comfortable.

"Sakura."

The harsh calling of her name startled her, back going ramrod as she turned, facing her supervisor. Damn, was the woman a mind reader? Where had she even come from?

"Stop walking around so listlessly," she ordered before gesturing to the lingerie section. "Can't you see they need fixing?"

Lingerie was not her area, she wanted to argue. After they had failed standards due to being understaffed, more people were hired and they were each handed a section of the store at the start of the day. Hers, for that day at least, was jeans. It was the largest section in the entire store, the variety something to marvel at and it was, without a doubt, the most difficult to organise. Everybody wanted jeans, though it took rifling through several different styles to find the perfect pair.

"I was placed on jeans-" she tried to explain, but was rudely cut off.

"I don't care where you were placed – get over there and fix them."

Okay, she was _so_ not paid enough to be spoken down to like that and in response to the woman's demands, she felt herself bristle, anger curling hotly in her stomach. "If my area isn't in good shape when an auditor comes to the store, I'll be the one who's held accountable," she explained patiently.

"Sakura?"

Gods,_ not now_, she wanted to snap at the man who called out to her, but upon glaring over her shoulder at him, she was surprised to find not only Itachi standing behind her, but Sasuke and Naruto, too. What the hell were they doing there? Why were they together? It wasn't her lunchtime was it? They were always on time since one person being held back from lunch meant everyone's lunches were suddenly being screwed around with. In the end, someone out of the entire staff on rota for that day, would go without lunch.

A single glance at the clock above the checkouts informed her that her lunch was twenty-five minutes late.

It seemed she would be the one who was going without lunch. Again.

"We were waiting for you outside," mumbled Naruto, his blue eyes narrowing fractionally on the irate woman standing close to her. He knew what went down during each of her shifts, as he was usually the one she ranted to as of late. Before passing her driving test, he was also the one who gave her lifts everywhere. "Your lunch is always at one, right?"

Her heart warmed at the lack of anger towards her in his eyes. Were they friends again?

"You're not going until you've finished the lingerie," her supervisor snapped.

Deep breaths, she warned herself. Making a scene in front of customers, who were already giving them a wide berth, would reflect poorly on the store. "Gin-san, you're being unfair," she told her, keeping her back to the men behind her. Why the hell did they have to be there? They were going to make it worse. "There's only two of us on jeans today and you know how hard it is to keep up with–"

But Gin's dark eyes flashed with an increasing annoyance, making Sakura wonder what the hell had crawled up her ass and died. Minutes before, she'd been frustrated with her phone, sure, but what had caused such an explosion of anger? And why the hell did she find it acceptable to take it out on her?

The woman was in her late twenties and from the day Sakura started, she'd quickly come to the realisation that Gin had anger issues. It got to a stage where customers complained about her, repeatedly leaving poor feedback on the store, which, in turn, brought the rating for the store down as a whole. She'd thought the higher ups of the company would intervene at some point, but apparently they didn't care enough.

"Maybe if you were better at your job," she snarled at her, the sudden harshness of her words taking Sakura's breath away, "instead of flouncing around with men, you wouldn't have this problem-"

"Oi-"

She held her hand up to Naruto and Sasuke, who'd simultaneously interrupted Gin, meeting the gaze of the three men with a warning clear in her own: don't get involved. It wasn't their battle, it was hers. It wasn't their supervisor berating them in front of a store full of customers, uncaring of the humiliation it caused as Sakura heard people snickering at her burning cheeks. It was hers.

And she was so goddamn tired of being a pushover.

"Gin-san, I-" She went to interrupt her, but before she could, Sakura narrowed her eyes, snapping, "Don't interrupt me."

It felt like the entire store fell silent.

She noticed the other poor girl stuck on jeans pop her head up from behind a shelving unit of the cheaper designs, her hazel eyes wide with horror, mouthing, "What are you doing?"

"I have always accepted how you speak to me because I truly believed this job and the money I'm paid was worth it," she told her seriously, calmly. Gods, she was so angry. Her blood was boiling, the air around her feeling thick with tension and there was a faint tremble to her hands. "It's one thing for you to criticise me on my job competency in front of customers, but like hell am I going to stand around while you bring my personal life into it and slut shame me in front of the customers, too."

The silence somehow doubled at her use of the word slut, like it was taboo.

"You-"

She raised her hand again, like that alone could silence her. "I didn't say I was done, did I?"

Behind her, she heard Naruto snicker.

"Just because you're sad, old and single, doesn't mean you can take it out on me," she told her, still speaking calmly, ignoring Naruto's whoop of encouragement. "My boyfriend has come to visit me with his brother and friend during what is supposed to be my dinner break – don't you dare insinuate that I'm in any way promiscuous."

It was obvious Gin was going to lose her shit at any moment, her clenched fists shaking, scowl looking etched into her features.

"How dare you–"

"No, how dare _you_," Sakura interjected angrily. "I've worked hard for this company for the past few years, always picking up the slack and taking extra shifts when you're short staffed."

How long had her argument been building for? Like anyone else, she'd always envisioned the day she would stand up for herself against her tyrant of a supervisor, though always settled for calling the woman harsh names under her breath instead. She'd always lacked the courage to actually defend herself, truly believing she needed the job.

Well, now she didn't.

"I'm done," she said suddenly, chuckling and shaking her head. "I'm done with working for such a bullshit company that'll only turn around and ask me to give something else up after I've already given them everything. I'm done with wasting my days here, where I'm constantly being disrespected and treated like dirt. And I'm done with your bullying ways, Gin-san. I'm done – I've had enough. Find someone else."

The look she was given told her everything the woman thought about her and more as Gin smirked nastily. "You can't quit just like that – you need to work your notice."

Glancing over her shoulder, she gladly accepted the pen and paper given to her by Itachi, the pride in his eyes making her heart stutter, but she was too angry to focus on it for too long as she used the display shelf as a desk, quickly and irritably scribbling two words onto the paper before holding it up for the nearest camera.

"I quit," she announced, tossing the paper at Gin carelessly. "As for working my notice, I think I'll take back all the missed dinner breaks I was owed and never paid for and-"

"You rude bitc-"

When she took a threatening step forward, instincts warned Sakura to move backwards, to put more distance between them as it was definitely about to turn physical.

Instead, she stood her ground and stood tall, refusing to be intimidated even as Gin came nose to nose with her, her dark eyes furious as they darted between hers. It was clear in her sudden pause that nobody had ever stood up to her before, instead backing down since the majority of those working at the store had the same mindset as herself: needing the job, so willing to put up with all the bullshit.

But she was tired of it!

The woman was an inch or so shorter than herself, her unnatural auburn hair parted down the centre, revealing that she had failed to keep up with the dye as her dark roots showed.

"I'm not scared of you," Sakura told her, adrenaline coursing through her veins at the confrontation. That adrenaline only increased at the thought of those behind her watching, witnessing that she _was_ capable of standing up for herself, that she wasn't some helpless pushover who constantly needed defending. "Yell at me all you want, give me the dirtiest look you can, but you're done with making me feel bad."

Gods, it felt amazing standing up for herself.

One of Gin's hands clenched into a fist.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, though otherwise remained unmoved, never looking away from her eyes. "I dare you."

"I wouldn't," Naruto muttered seriously, all traces of humour vanishing. "She'll knock you on your ass."

"And if she doesn't, I sure as hell will."

It took everything in Sakura not to react to the sudden intrusion on her badass moment, her heart feeling like it was beating a mile a minute at the familiar voice that she'd missed so badly. No matter how badly they argued, no matter how much she disrespected her relationship with Sasuke, she would always love her best friend.

"Is that a threat?"

Ino came to stand by Sakura's side, making it difficult to keep the daring expression on her face when all she wanted to do was smile at the blonde and tell her how much she'd missed her. "You tell me."

Realising she was outnumbered, Gin glared around herself, finally deciding she didn't like the audience who were watching with mouths agape, phones in their hands. No doubt it would be viral on the internet – everything was, nowadays.

"Give me your employee badge and get the hell out of my store," she snapped, taking a step back.

It was off her neck in seconds and like her resignation, it was tossed at her. "Gladly."

Without waiting for a response or to watch as Gin picked the badge up from the ground, she spun on her heel, making a beeline for the staff room to collect her stuff and leave. It would have been more dramatic leaving instantly, but she really needed her stuff. Her car keys and purse were back there.

"Oh my Gods," Ino gushed as they left the store, the shopping bags hanging on her arms bashing into other shoppers. She didn't care in the least. "That was amazing."

Her boyfriend didn't look overly pleased, but she paid him no mind, instead smirking at the clap on the back from Naruto, her heart warming at the nod of approval from Itachi.

"I wish I'd done it sooner," she said, smiling.

"Don't go all shy on us now," warned Ino and she slipped the bags from her arms, shoving them into Naruto's hands. He squawked while unwillingly accepting them, awkwardly trying to keep hold of them lest he wished to incite Ino's renowned rage. "Not when the girl I fell in love with is finally showing herself again."

The words warmed and broke her heart all at once and she felt herself becoming emotional. "Ino-Pig," she whined.

"Welcome back, Forehead," she said with a grin, linking their arms together securely.


	15. It's Safe Right Here In My Arms

**Chapter 15**

**It's Safe Right Here In My Arms**

* * *

"A photo shoot?" Ino repeated, pausing in sipping her milkshake, lips freezing at the top of the straw. Her only visible eye shot to Itachi and a faint blush made itself known. "What kind…?"

"Nothing like that," she quickly snapped, waving her hands dismissively.

"You pretended to marry him," argued Naruto, much to her annoyance and under the table, she gave him a swift kick to the shin, ignoring his yelp. "S-Sakura-chan… _Why?"_

Carefully, the blonde placed her milkshake down on the table, eyebrow raising and it had Sakura inwardly sighing. "Marrying Uchiha Itachi-san, huh?" she questioned, blue eye meeting Sasuke's. "How do you feel about that, Sasuke-kun?"

Great, it was starting already. Why had Sakura assumed it would be any different? Instead of being given the chance to respond, she was interrupted by Itachi as his phoned pinged, alerting him to a message. A second later and he was placing said phone onto the table, stating, "Ask him again once he has seen this photograph."

Sakura's mouth fell open at the sight of the photograph. It was of herself standing at the top of the aisle and she knew it was the exact moment Itachi was allowed to see her in the wedding dress, his entirely real reaction influencing hers.

The woman in the picture looked like a stranger. She had her features, had her distinguishable hair colour, but the expression in her eyes, the blush on her cheeks, the _smile_ on her lips, was foreign. Seeing herself in such a way, knowing it was the reaction to Itachi's seeing her, made her stomach curl with an emotion she couldn't identify. Was it a positive emotion? Negative? Sakura couldn't tell.

But Gods, she looked so beautifully happy in the photograph.

It was a closeup, with the only visible bits of greenery and trees being blurred out, forcing Sakura to be the centre of attention. The angle of the camera, the flash, brought out the different shades of green in her warm eyes, even bringing forth a few flecks of amber she'd only ever noticed one time in the summer, several years ago. Her pale skin stood out proudly, almost appearing ethereal, especially in contrast to her hair, the single curled strands framing her face bursting with colour. Her half-bared shoulders teased the camera, as did her collarbone, but that was where the cropping had come in, refusing to give the person viewing the photograph any more skin. It demanded that her face be the main attraction.

"You look…"

"Wow, Sakura-chan."

"What else have you been up to, Forehead?" demanded Ino and there was no mistaking the pride in her eyes as their gazes met.

She smiled somewhat, still in awe of the photograph yet wary of seeming too into it. As proud as she felt, she didn't want them thinking she was arrogant or vain. "Oh you know," she began, smile growing impish. "Drinking, karaoke, stage diving-"

"_Stage diving?"_ she repeated, gasping.

The impish smile grew. "And crowd surfing."

"No way."

"It's true," Naruto defended her with a grin. He was too busy scrolling through his phone to look at them, soon showing the blonde the video. It blared through his phone speaker, disturbing the other tables and Sakura snapped at him to turn it down, but he held the phone out of her reach. "See?"

Ino looked back to her, lips parting in surprise before she said, "I want whatever you're taking."

She chuckled uneasily. "Ino-Pig, I-"

"No, seriously," she told her and handed the phone back, crossing her legs beneath the table and flicking her hair off her shoulder. It had Sakura inwardly rolling her eyes when she caught Naruto looking downwards when Ino moved, her cleavage impossible to ignore in her halter-neck dress, especially when being held up by her crossing arms as she leaned back in her seat. "You've changed, Sakura."

Had she? If that was truly the case, she wouldn't have felt her heart sink when she stole a glance at Sasuke, upset to find that he was not immune to Ino's charms. Like she'd said: it was impossible to ignore the blonde's chest. Even Sakura would admit to checking it out from time to time, but only because it was always right there, always revealed by plunging necklines, such as the one she was currently wearing. Still, despite knowing that that was probably why her boyfriend discreetly stole that single glance, it still stirred childish jealousy within her.

"In a good way," Ino added, head dipping to meet Sakura's eye. "And I mean it."

What was she even doing there? Sakura sulkily looked downwards, unable to ignore the feeling of inadequacy. She always felt that way around Ino, who was undoubtedly perfect in every way – when it came to pleasing the eye, anyway, since her friend was all kinds of messed up. She had the naturally straight platinum blonde hair that never looked dirty. The brightest blue eyes and the longest eyelashes Sakura had ever seen, which were even prettier when coated in mascara. Then there was the picture-perfect hourglass figure that gained her so much attention.

Even the attention of her boyfriend.

Finally losing her temper on the second time she caught Sasuke glancing at Ino's chest, her foot lashed out, catching his shin in the same way she had Naruto's. There was a grunt and he went to reach for his shin, though instead settled on glaring at Naruto momentarily, assuming it to be him, but once he met her hard green eyes, the glare vanished, realisation forcing him to forget his sore shin.

Was she about to stand up for herself the second time that day?

"What's wrong?" asked Ino, though Sakura _knew_ the blonde knew what was wrong. It was in the way she leaned forward, revealing more cleavage. "Sasuke-kun, are you okay?"

"Fine."

A soft smile pulled on her lips before she reached down, picking her shopping bags up and standing. "Still not a man of many words," she said impishly. "Well, I have too much to do to sit around all day – I still need to find you a gift for your birthday, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura bristled, but stayed silent.

So did her boyfriend.

"Is Sasuke in trouble?" asked Naruto knowingly once Ino was out of earshot, raising his eyebrows at her. "Is he gonna be puni-"

"Shut up, Naruto," she snapped.

"Did I miss something?"

_Stay off your damned phone and you'd know_, Sakura wanted to tell him, but instead kept her hurt glare on Sasuke. "Would you like to fill your beloved older brother in on what you were doing, or shall I?"

Anger flashed through his eyes. "Why should he-"

Folding his arms behind his head, Naruto leaned back in his seat, demanding all attention when he announced, "Sasuke was staring at Ino's boobs." Opening a single eye to look at him disapprovingly, he added, "More than once."

Disbelief had Itachi narrowing his eyes on him. "Sasuke-"

"Like you can talk," he replied to Naruto, opting to ignore his brother entirely. "You still have drool on your chin."

He sat up straight at that, glaring. "Yeah, but I'm single-"

"So-"

It surprised her that it was not her own hand meeting the back of Sasuke's head, making him wince.

"Instead of trying to justify your actions with the pitiful excuses a child would make, why don't you try apologising to Sakura for disrespecting her like that."

It wasn't a question – it was an order. And while Sakura had previously enjoyed defending herself, she found her stomach warming in response to Itachi's actions.

The warming stopped, turning ice cold, when she met Sasuke's eyes, her heart breaking.

"Sakura-"

"Don't apologise to me because you're being forced to." Standing, she angrily dug into her purse, dumping her share of the bill onto the table. "I'm going."

He was on his feet in an instant, eyes widening a fraction. "Wait, Sakura-"

She didn't turn back. Mainly because of the stinging of her eyes, but also because she had a point to make. Sasuke had to know that she wouldn't put up with his bullshit anymore. They had agreed to being more honest about everything, but what about her? If they wanted their relationship to work, she had to find her backbone, didn't she?

"_Leave her."_

"_But Sakura-chan's upset-"_

"_And needs time to process the emotions she is feeling – Sasuke, approaching her now will only make things worse. You know that already."_

"_But…"_

Was it her own feelings of inadequacy that pushed her? Or was it that horrible sinking feeling of being such a goddamn hypocrite?

While Sasuke had indiscreetly ogled her supposed best friend, she had almost kissed his brother. Twice.

Attraction was such a confusing thing, Sakura thought to herself as she entered the car park for the mall, heading straight for the elevator. How could she be in love with Sasuke, but occasionally find herself attracted to his older brother? How could Sasuke love–

She sighed once on the level her car was on, heading straight for it.

She had to stop assuming Sasuke was in love with her. Yes, he felt something for her, but even she was beginning to doubt whether that was love. He was way too–

"What-"

Her bag strap slipped from her shoulder to her hand as Sakura came to a stop behind her car, the sight of her slashed tyres leaving her in a state of shock. For several moments, all she could do was stare, trying to piece together the dots, trying to figure out what the hell she was looking at because_ that was her car._

"Fuck," she screamed, swinging her bag over her shoulder and launching it at her precious car.

Who in the hell would have–

"That bitch," she snarled and her arms came up, covering her face, hands grabbing fistfuls of the back of her hair.

Staying calm was impossible.

All four of her tyres were slashed, completely flat as all air had obviously escaped. There was no way she could drive it – she only had one spare tyre.

_Breathe_, she warned herself, almost squatting as she crouched, arms touching her knees, hands still gripping her hair as she tried to calm herself down. If her anger continued to grow, there was no doubt in her mind that she was going back to the store to beat several shades of shit out of Gin.

Who else could it have been? There was nobody she had any grievances with other than Gin.

Somebody honking their horn at her forced Sakura to stand and get out of the road, apologising over her shoulder at the elderly couple trying to leave. They were shaking their heads at her in annoyance until they spotted her tyres, quickly disappearing once they had. Typical human nature, Sakura thought bitterly, heading over to her car. When someone was in trouble or in need of assistance, strangers couldn't get away fast enough unless they had a phone in their hands, recording the whole thing.

Standing around wasn't going to help, she decided. She had to find a ride home, though part of her shuddered at the thought of calling Sasuke. It was much too soon and she still needed time to think everything over rationally – when she wasn't experiencing the emotions so powerfully in the heat of the moment–

Itachi.

Biting her lip with indecision, Sakura pulled her phone out of her pocket. Was contacting him really the best thing to do? When she was, in a way, so emotionally vulnerable? Then again, what else was she supposed to do? Walk home when it would take well over an hour? Yes, she was into fitness but on a day like the one she was currently experiencing–

Screw it.

She unlocked her phone and immediately called him, heart palpitating when it answered on the third ring.

"Don't let them know it's me," she said before he could greet her. Her own words had her biting her lip and Sakura faced her car, shouldering her bag once more. "I'm in… a bit of a situation. Do you think you could help me?"

"_What happened, Kisame-san?"_

Kisame-san? But–

He was making an excuse to ditch them.

"My tyres have been slashed," replied Sakura, voice threatening to shake.

When Itachi next spoke, he sounded shocked, asking, "_All of them?"_

"Yeah."

"_I will try and be there shortly,"_ he informed her. "_Try not to worry."_

Try not to worry? _Try not to worry?_ Her tyres had been slashed! Her former supervisor was a freaking psychopath. How the hell could she _not_ worry? Damn it.

It took Itachi all of five minutes to meet with her, his expression vaguely stunned at the sight of her tyres. He inspected them closely, leaning towards them and briefly, anger flitted over his features until he glanced her way, frowning.

"Do you have a suspect in mind?"

Ah, he didn't want to outright accuse anyone. "Gin-san. It has to be her," Sakura said with annoyance, gesturing to her tyres with a shake of her head. "This is going to set me back. What am I going to do? All the money in my savings is untouchable until I go to university."

Gods, she was starting to whine, but how could she not? The whole point of her standing up for herself and quitting her job was because she had that money backing her up. Yes, she supposed she should always take precautions for unexpected bills or charges, but how the hell was she supposed to predict her psycho bitch of a supervisor screwing with her car? The amount that would possibly be needed in order to pay for the damage would take a month's, perhaps even two months', worth of money she'd been saving.

Oh, Gods. The _rims_–

"The area is covered by CCTV," Itachi informed her and indicated towards a camera at the far end of the floor they were on. "While it would struggle with seeing her carry out the act, you will know if it was her or not."

She rubbed her forehead. Why was he being so on the fence and refusing to call the bitch out? It was painfully obvious who it had been. "Who else could it have been, Itachi?"

His moment of pause had her looking up at him, eyebrows raising questioningly, until he sighed. "Your friend seemed unhappy with you."

Her friend–

"Ino?" Sakura demanded with a humourless laugh. "You think _Ino_ could do something like this?"

Itachi's frown returned. "While you were too busy focusing on Sasuke's ogling her, you failed to notice Ino-san's envy."

Ino? Envious? Of her? Was Itachi losing his mind? Then again, he didn't know Ino. He didn't know what their friendship was like.

"It wouldn't have been Ino," came her firm defence. Even after all the bullshit between them, her best friend would never sink so low. "I'll admit she's angry with me for being with Sasuke-kun, but she'd never do something like this. _This_…" She threw her hand out towards her car, heart breaking at the sad sight of it. "This isn't her style."

"I suppose it isn't," he replied thoughtfully and turned away, beginning the walk towards the security office. "I suppose Ino-san's style leans more on the side of seducing your boyfriend – directly in front of you, might I add."

What?

_What?_

"Don't walk away from me when you say things like that," she snapped at him in disbelief, jogging to keep up. "Ino is-"

Vague annoyance showed on his features when he glanced to the side at her, raising an eyebrow. "Is this where you defend yet another person who hurts you with frightening ease?"

"That's not fair. I-"

But apparently the Itachi who had lectures that never ended was back, looking down on her and judging every decision she had ever made or would ever make. "You are naïve, Sakura. You continuously give people more chances no matter how badly they hurt you."

Tired of him walking two steps in front of her, she grabbed his arm, spinning him around and they came to an abrupt halt. Green eyes clashed with dark and she showed her unhappiness in her scowl.

"Would you rather me be alone?" asked Sakura. "If I gave up on people – when sometimes, it's a genuine mistake – I'd have no-one left."

"Has Naruto-kun hurt you?"

She frowned. "Well, no-"

"Have I?"

The words had her lips pursing, gaze dropping to the space between them. It was going to get dangerous again, wasn't it? Yet again, she was emotionally upset, riled up by the events leading up to that exact moment. To the moment where she chose Itachi's help over Sasuke's. To the moment where they were standing with barely a foot of distance between them, her heart hammering away in her chest, palms sweating, stomach pooling with a warmth she didn't want to acknowledge as Sakura realised that she'd almost automatically called Itachi rather than Sasuke when she needed help.

"…No," she all but whispered.

Something about her made his ambush retreat somewhat, softening his next words, "Then you will never be alone."

What was that supposed to mean? That she should dump her boyfriend for checking someone else out? After everything she'd been willing to move on from? So, it was okay for him to force himself on her, but if he ogled another girl, then it was over? How in the hell did that make any sense?

"Sasuke-kun's trying."

But even to her ears, her argument was weak. "And how long will this last before he loses interest or patience?" When she refused to look at him, gentle fingers brushed beneath her chin, tipping her head back, forcing their eyes to meet. "What happens next time he is under pressure, or stressed, or simply annoyed? Would you continue to stand by his side if he hurt you again? How long will you blindly follow my foolish little brother?"

"I don't know."

And the answer frightened her.

"Please," he quietly begged, her breath catching when the fingers beneath her chin skimmed over her neck, coming to her hair, unknowingly setting her skin ablaze with sudden sensitivity. "Please, do not become my mother."

"Itachi…"

He sighed. "Forgive me, Sakura." Before pulling away, he stunned her by gently poking her forehead, smiling somewhat. "It seems I was caught in the heat of the moment."

Was he teasing her? She rubbed at the spot, frowning up at him. No, the expression on his face, in his eyes, was too sincere for him to be teasing her. So, had Itachi poked her forehead to lighten the tension?

"Maybe we should go check the CCTV now," she said unsurely.

His only response was to take the lead.

* * *

"Why didn't you call me?"

The angered demand of her boyfriend had Sakura sighing, gazing towards the door of his gaming room and wondering how discreetly she could leave.

Being in his gaming room again assaulted her with a myriad of feelings, ranging from understandable uncertainty to damn near overwhelming fear and then to the confusing thrill. It all swirled around within her chest, refusing to allow Sakura to keep hold of one emotion long enough to figure out _why_ she felt that way.

She'd forgone sitting on the sofa she'd been pinned against, instead feigning interest in the gardens as she sat on the windowsill, occasionally putting on a look of curiosity whenever she felt it was necessary. And like herself, Sasuke was not sitting on the sofa, although he leaned back against it while sitting on the floor.

Could he understand the uncertainty? Did he feel the same way as herself? Was he uncomfortable sitting there while memories attacked him in the same way he'd attacked-

Attacked her? Sakura frowned, hiding her expression with her hair as she looked outside once more. Saying Sasuke attacked her sounded way too aggressive to her, but was that what it had been?

"She could've been waiting around for you."

"But she wasn't."

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and Sakura discreetly looked that way, biting the inside of her cheek when she spotted Itachi approaching the pool with Shisui by his side. They were in their swimming trunks, towels hanging over their shoulders. She'd thought they'd been in the gym, but it seemed they were moving onto a more relaxing workout.

Shisui was the more muscular of the pair, it seemed and his wavy hair was a total opposite to Itachi's neat, straight hair. Then there was his tan – a clear indication that he saw more of the sun than his cousin did. Itachi, however… She wasn't sure how to describe it. Her eyes were simply drawn to him, admiring the low rise of his trunks on his trim hips, his abs, the defined 'V' that-

Well, they were certainly new, Sakura noted. They'd always been faint, but now they were well defined. Had Itachi decided to workout more regularly following their photo shoot? It definitely showed, she thought. He was-

Embarrassment shot straight through her chest when her eyes drifted upwards, meeting humoured dark eyes that were staring right back at her. She quickly looked away, fighting back the blush.

Tossing aside the controller and sighing, Sasuke said, "That's not the point, Sakura."

Were they really still on about that? "Sasuke-kun, please-"

"No, listen to me," he snapped in a low growl, surprising her. "What if you got there before she left and saw her in the act? She could have used the weapon on you."

"_What happens next time he is under pressure, or stressed, or simply annoyed?"_

There was no stopping her flinch of anticipation when Sasuke stood up, one that was seemingly unnoticed by her boyfriend.

"What would you do then, huh?" he demanded while advancing on her.

"_Would you continue to stand by his side if he hurt you again?"_

She shrunk back against the window, back flat against it when Sasuke placed a hand on either side of her thighs, leaning closer and closer and _closer_ until she could feel his breath on her face, his nose almost brushing alongside hers. Instinct had her head turning to the side, breathing growing shallow.

"_How long will you blindly follow my foolish little brother?"_

How could he continue his actions knowing how it affected her? Sakura swallowed hard, eyes glued to his white knuckled hands, threatening to fill with tears as the memories of the last time she was in the gaming room bombarded her. Chest rising and falling fast, she warily met his gaze, willing herself to stay calm, to be strong, _to stand up for herself._

"What would _I do?" _came his angered question.

"S-Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

"You-"

"Sasuke."

Her heart rejoiced at the sound of Mikoto's calm voice, for just a second before she inwardly demanded _why the hell_ the woman sounded so calm. She'd walked in on him intimidating her, cornering her, all but yelling in her face. Why wasn't she reprimanding him? Why wasn't she defending her?

"Your father wishes to speak with you."

The annoyance in his eyes had Sakura looking anywhere but him, her relief immediate when he pushed away from her, storming out of the room without pause.

It was only then that she could breathe once more, sucking in sharp gulps of air. Hands coming to the edge of the windowsill, she leaned forward, shutting her eyes as she tried to collect herself.

"_How long will you blindly follow my foolish little brother?"_

"Sakura-chan?"

Uneasily, she looked to the woman who remained standing near the doorway, having only stepped inside the room to allow Sasuke to leave.

Was that her future? Poorly concealed bruises, personality stripped away, sometimes only seeming like a shell of her former self? Flinching whenever her husband's voice was raised? Isolated? Afraid? _Trapped?_

The perfect Stepford Wife?

"I'm glad I have a moment alone with you," stated Mikoto and she offered a small smile. Had it always been so fake? So… so _perfected?_ "Fugaku and I have picked out an outfit for you for the party."

Like hell–

Realisation shot down her spine, freezing her in her hunched over position.

Several times in the past, Sasuke had surprised her with a brand new outfit for one of their dates, but… He hated shopping, let alone shopping for her. There was also the fact that he was never the one who arranged their dates. Mikoto booked everything for him. She would have been the one to choose her outfit, knowing the dress code.

Green eyes were drawn to the design of Mikoto's dress as she slowly straightened. The strategically placed neckline that rested low enough to show off her collarbone and the pendant of her necklace, but no cleavage. The loose material that kept all possible curves hidden, refusing to even tease the eye. The skirt that fell to knee height. Then, she thought of all the dresses that had been purchased for her when she accompanied the Uchiha family on business related occasions. Many – if not all – of them were designed similarly, albeit tweaked for a much younger woman.

She met Mikoto's eye, jaw clenching.

_This is your future,_ a voice warned her. _She is your future._

"I have an outfit," argued Sakura politely. No matter what, she knew she could never disrespect Mikoto. "Thank you, though, Mikoto-san."

Indecision rippled through her eyes as they darted to the side, like she was trying to glance at the door behind her. "I must insist, Sakura-chan."

Had it been Sasuke who presented the dress to her, she would have fallen for it – without a doubt.

And it worried her.

How long had they been controlling her like that? Deciding on what she was going to wear and when? Having Sasuke pretend to be the one who got her the outfit so that she'd wear it?

"I'm dead-set on my outfit," she said, somewhat firmly.

Oh, she was dead-set on it, all right. Only, it wasn't going to be the pencil dress with the respectable skirt. No, she was going to go all out. Ino-style. Cleavage. Curves. Short. Paired with impossible heels.

Like hell she was going to let them put her in a box.

Was that fear on Mikoto's features? She felt a pang in her chest, sympathising, but just as she uttered her name, another spoke up, appearing in the doorway like her own personal hero.

"There you are," he said smoothly, entering the room. "Kurotsuchi-san would like to meet with us." He looked to his mother. "Unless now is a bad time?"

"Really?" replied Sakura before Mikoto could speak up. She feigned excitement, grinning at him, only vaguely realising he'd shoved a shirt on. "I've been dying to hear from her since the photo shoot."

Guilt. Heavy, suffocating guilt showed in the older woman's eyes until she bowed her head respectfully and excused herself, leaving Sakura to fall back into the window, hands gripping the ledge once more.

It was with a wary glance over his shoulder that Itachi shut the door, though he remained standing in front of it, eyeing her momentarily.

Then, he said, "I came when I saw…"

Horror laced through her stomach, knotting together and making her feel sick. Of course Itachi had seen Sasuke intimidating her – she'd been stupidly ogling him through the window moments before.

Maybe that was her karma? She'd been a shameless slu–

No.

While Sakura knew that ogling Itachi had been wrong, it didn't excuse Sasuke's actions. It wasn't karma. It was him losing his temper. Again.

"Your parents have chosen my outfit for Sasuke-kun's birthday," she told him, addressing yet another problem from the never-ending list.

"I heard." There was obvious disapproval in his features. "I'm glad you're starting to stand up for yourself."

Weakly, she smiled. "Even if it results in my tyres being slashed?"

He sighed at that. "It frustrates me that there's not much I can do to help."

After witnessing the CCTV footage and spotting Gin making a trip in the general direction of her car, Sakura had thought that was that. It was done. Her fate was sealed. She had to pay for the damages. However, it was left in the hands of her parents' insurance providers – much to their unbearable anger and disappointment. Oh, they'd been livid with her. For quitting her job, for supposedly picking a fight with her superior, for destroying their no claims bonus, for snapping at them that Gin would never be her superior and storming out.

That was why she was currently staying with Sasuke.

Yes, she had crumbled and decided to spend the night there.

Sasuke had been there within fifteen minutes of her phone call, his mood already sour. Once she'd shown him the photographs of her car and informed him of the CCTV footage that showed Gin approaching it, it was safe to say his mood had gone from bad to worse.

"You dropped everything when I called," she told him quietly, wary of someone listening in. "And you calmed me down. That's more than enough, Itachi."

"Yet your car remains in disrepair."

"_My_ problem," stated Sakura, eyebrows raising. Then, to try and change the subject, she asked, "So, Kurotsuchi-san called?"

There was another sigh and Itachi sat on the sofa, unknowingly making her skin crawl. She wondered how he would feel knowing that that was where it happened. Would he continue sitting there knowing Sasuke had forced himself on her exactly where he was sat? Would he eye it with disdain like she regularly found herself doing so?

"Kurotsuchi-san would like to meet with us both at some point in the next two weeks," he said. "However, I must apologise, as I will be busy with the company starting from tomorrow. I'm unsure when I'll be available."

It was clearly something he was reluctant in doing, Sakura noticed, though didn't mention it. To do so, when it clearly wasn't all that private, was like she was asking for a family domestic to occur.

"I can wait," she replied easily, smiling. "Although, I wouldn't be against more sneak peeks."

"What sneak peeks?" The door was pushed open fully, annoyance written all over Sasuke's face as he looked between them. Was he still in his bad mood? Her heat leapt into her throat and she subconsciously drew into herself, eyes averting their gaze. "Well?"

"For the photo shoot," explained Itachi and he stood, waiting until Sasuke moved aside before he went to leave. Just as she assumed he would do so quietly, he paused by his brother's side, looking to him out of the corner of his eye. "Before I leave, Sasuke."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat and her stomach somersaulted at the uncertainty in Sasuke's eyes. What expression was Itachi wearing to make her boyfriend feel that way? Part of her didn't even want Itachi to turn around, for fear of it shattering her image of him.

"Just because you did not resort to violence this time, it does not mean your actions are just," he told him smoothly, quietly. "You of all people should understand what that behaviour does to a person."

Indignation. Shock. Uncertainty. He glanced in her direction, silently accusing her. "How-"

"You had Sakura pinned to the window," Itachi muttered and she could _feel_ the glare in the air around them, eyes widening a fraction at the way Sasuke responded to it. When had her boyfriend ever backed down? "You are headed down a dangerous path, Sasuke. Change it before you lose the one person you truly care for."


	16. My Heart Can't Take This Anymore

**Chapter 16**

**My Heart Can't Take This Anymore**

* * *

_He really was a genius. A prodigy._

_Her head fell back, a tortured moan escaping seconds before Sakura hissed with pleasure, hips bucking off the bed, fingers tangling in the sheets. There was no saving her hair at that point as it fanned around her head on the pillow, but it was the least of her concerns when long, knowing fingers curled and found that spot within her, the one that made her toes curl, eyes squeezing shut._

_Sinful hands teased her mercilessly, one hand fondling her breast, the other increasing the pace of pumping inside her when necessary, his tongue taking away any energy she may have possessed._

_Genius._

_He was a freaking genius and she–_

_She cried out, voice a pitch higher than usual, before her hips were firmly pinned to the bed, unable to control her trembling when his tongue returned to her, relishing in her juices._

"_I need you," she whined, hips moving restlessly. "Please-"_

_He didn't need telling twice, quickly abandoning his task and shifting his body over hers, covering every inch of her with ease._

_Sighing as her orgasm faded, Sakura smiled and looked up, only for all traces of euphoria to vanish abruptly at the man above her, his short brown hair and tanned complexion most definitely _not_ what she'd been expecting._

"_What is it?" he asked lazily, making her skin crawl when his hand trailed up her torso._

"_F-Fugaku-san, you-"_

"_Stop struggling," muttered Fugaku and the hand that had been caressing her suddenly had her pinned, his hips aligning with hers. "You wanted this."_

* * *

She awoke with a start, a slick sheen of sweat coating her body, hands shaking.

It alarmed her that she didn't immediately recognise the room she was in, but once she did, her panic escalated as she recalled agreeing with Mikoto about spending the night. It was the night before Sasuke's party (more importantly, his birthday) and she'd agreed to help out as much as possible beforehand.

The guest room was stunning in its simplicity, though Sakura supposed it was no longer a guest room, considering it housed a great number of her belongings along with many more that had been purchased for or with her in mind. There was even a photograph of her and Sasuke on the bedside table, the elegant frame warning her not to touch it, for she certainly could not afford to replace it should it break.

It was by no means home to her, but it was welcoming and warm, allowing her to rest peacefully and unwind.

Until that moment.

Her dream frightened her. It was like she'd been able to feel the pressure of Fugaku's body, like she _still could_. His once hot grip had grown cold rapidly once she realised who it was, the unyielding hold on her body making her feel sick to her stomach.

Who she'd assumed the person to be before finding out it was Fugaku wasn't entirely uncertain – something else that horrified her.

Over the many years of being in a relationship with Sasuke, Sakura had had several erotic dreams. They were often brought on by something she'd read or watched, putting the thought of what their first time would be like, if it ever happened, in her mind. However, since the incident in the gaming room, she hadn't had a single dream – not an erotic one, anyway. Actually, she couldn't recall her last dream of Sasuke, though never thought twice about it due to how unlikely it was to actually remember a dream.

She wouldn't be forgetting that one any time soon, though.

Sakura had a sneaking suspicion who the dream had been about, as she could still recall the way she'd chanted he was a genius. There was only man who came to mind when she thought of an Uchiha genius.

But that wasn't possible, right?

Surely she hadn't…?

Turning onto her side, Sakura reached out, bringing one of the spare pillows close to her chest and curling herself around it. Her eyes were drawn to the photograph on the bedside table and she bit her lip, wondering just what the hell she was going to do.

No matter how hard she tried to keep their relationship going, she felt like one day Sasuke was going to look in her eyes and _know_ that it was over. Everything was slipping through her fingertips like she was trying to hold onto dry sand, refusing to allow her to put the broken pieces of their love back together.

She loved him. She loved Sasuke so much that it hurt, because she knew his feelings were not on the same level as her own and if they were, then he expressed it in a totally different way to her and she wasn't sure if she could continue putting up with it. The intimidation, the harsh sneers, the condescending attitude, the… the _forcing_ himself on her.

The thought of growing old with him and having his children had once been pleasant, but now it filled her with dread. Would she end up like his mother? Trapped in an abusive marriage, unable to speak her mind, with no-one to turn to? Gods, she couldn't do it. She couldn't. It felt like a strong hand was resting on her chest – no, not resting. Pressing down. Slowly but surely pinning her, making it impossible to breathe.

Stubbornly, she choked back her sudden sob, willing herself to be silent as she bit down on the pillow, squeezing her eyes shut.

Being with him scared her. Being without him terrified her.

It wasn't all bad in their relationship, but did the good outweigh the bad? Sakura wasn't entirely sure. All she did know was that they had five years' worth of memories that she couldn't give up on. They'd laughed, they'd cried and accomplished so much. He was her first kiss and her first love. They'd grown up together, playing a major part in the other's maturing. He was the reason why she was, who she was.

Who would she be without him?

She roughly wiped at her eyes, shoulders shaking.

But what if it _was_ coming to an end? What was she supposed to do then? He was her best friend, despite everything.

On the dark days, he was there for her. He supported her. He challenged her. He evoked such powerful emotions from her. Yes, he pissed her off and sometimes he scared her, too, but…

The buzzing of her phone startled her and Sakura quickly sat up, wiping at her face like the person texting her would be able to see the state of her through the phone. It was only once she took a deep, calming breath that she reached for it, the tears restarting at the name on the screen.

_We need to talk –_ Sasuke.

Yes, they did, but she wasn't sure if she could handle a conversation with him at that moment in time, especially not when she knew it would be either a step forward or back. No matter what it was about, they wouldn't be staying where they were.

But she wasn't ready to let go.

For a while now, Sakura had been telling herself that it was a rough patch, that they would move on from it and grow stronger because of it. However, it was starting to feel like it would never happen. What if they only went downhill? What if his bad moods escalated? What if one day he actually–

At her next sob, this one harder to smother, her phone buzzed again.

_Can I come in? _– Sasuke.

Could he? Did she want that? Could she handle that? Sakura wasn't so sure.

_Please_ – Sasuke.

His plea had her replying a simple yes, waiting and wiping furiously at her eyes when the door handle pushed downwards.

"_What are you doing, Sasuke?"_

The muted voice had her flinching, the sound of Fugaku's suspicion putting her on edge.

"_Sakura is upset,"_ Sasuke retorted calmly, much to her surprise. "_I want to speak with her."_

"_It is the middle of the night-"_

"_And she's upset-"_

"_Do not talk back to me,"_ he warned and Sakura instantly stood up, making her way over to the door, her tears freezing, hand hovering over the handle. "_You know better."_

When she tried the handle, she found it to be stiff, telling her Sasuke was holding it on the other side of the door. It would be his way of telling her not to involve herself, but how could she not? He was defying his father outright for the first time in his entire life. Not indirectly by finding loopholes in the rules, but by looking him in the eye and refusing to be a pushover.

"_What kind of man would I be leaving her to cry herself to sleep?"_

_Stop it, Sasuke-kun,_ Sakura mentally begged, hold tightening on the handle, other hand coming to lay flat on the wood. Why was he goading him? Yes, it was noble of him and she adored that he was standing up to his father because he wanted to comfort her, but the last thing she wanted was for Sasuke to get in trouble for her. After all, Fugaku was a bully. He abused his wife. Mentally abused his sons. What was going to happen?

"_A wise man,"_ came his father's cold voice. "_Go to bed."_

Footsteps had her turning cold on the inside, especially when she tried pushing down on the handle and found that it wasn't Sasuke who was walking away from her room – he was standing his ground. It was Fugaku walking over to him.

Cursing under her breath, Sakura rushed to the bed, grabbing her phone and dialling the first person she thought of, the one person she knew could end the disagreement.

The handle moved slightly. "_I don't know where this disobedience is coming from."_

"_Sakura?"_

Thank the Gods he was awake, Sakura thought to herself. "I think a fight is about to break out between Fugaku-san and Sasuke-kun. They're-"

The line went dead.

It quickly became apparent that Itachi wasn't in his bedroom, however and she flinched when there was a thud on her door.

"_But I recommend for your own sake that you stop following your brother's reckless path."_

"_R-Reckless?"_ repeated Sasuke, voice straining. Gods, was he choking him? "_I'm starting t-to think… 't-tachi is the only… only redeemable one in this damned family."_

"_You-"_

"_What do you think you're doing, Father?"_

The coldness of Itachi's voice had her equal parts worried as it did relieved and she moved back to the door, waiting until the pressure was gone before she slowly opened it.

Teary green eyes widened at the sight of Sasuke hunched over, holding back his coughs, hand massaging his throat and she was quick to grab his wrist, forcing him to straighten up so that she could take a look at him. There was obvious embarrassment in his eyes, but she refused to take notice of it, frowning at the redness around his neck.

In his sweatpants and t-shirt, it was obvious Itachi had rushed from the gym, his chest rising and falling not out of adrenaline or fear of the situation, but from exertion. Looking at him from around Sasuke, she pleaded with her eyes for him to dissolve the situation, not escalate it.

"Do not involve yourself, Itachi," warned Fugaku, though wisely did not turn his back on his eldest son. Was he recalling the last time he'd gone against him? Were his bruises still a reminder not to push him too hard? "This does not concern you."

"Doesn't concern me?" he repeated disbelievingly. "You were choking my little brother."

"Nii-san, don't-"

"Stay out of it, Sasuke-kun," she begged, hands restlessly trying to find a part of him to hold onto. She probably looked more like a mother hen, but she couldn't deny she was also checking him over, making sure there was no other damage. "Itachi's got this, okay?"

The reply seemed to displease him, though fortunately for her, he didn't argue. He didn't look at her either. Instead, his dark eyes were fixated on his father's back, narrowing slightly and she saw him swallow, his hands twitching like they wanted to clench into fists.

"He was-"

"Disobeying?" questioned Itachi. Before Fugaku, he stood tall and proud, refusing to break eye contact and Sakura had to admit it was intimidating. While he didn't look it, it was becoming quickly apparent that he was not to be pushed around. Try, and he would snap. "From the looks of things: Sasuke merely wanted to speak with his girlfriend."

That made him bristle, it seemed. Gods, Fugaku really hated being disobeyed, didn't he? Was it an alpha male complex? "It is hardly appropriate in the middle of the night-"

"Sakura was upset," snapped Sasuke, straightening when his father glared over his shoulder at him.

The look she was settled with was unpleasant, making her skin crawl. "She appears to be fine now. Do not lie to-"

"Is there any particular reason as to why you are so volatile tonight, Father?" Itachi quietly demanded, raising an expectant eyebrow when their eyes met once more. "Or is this how you always treat our guests?"

"Haruno is hardly a guest when she will one day be married into this family-"

"Such a bold assumption," noted Itachi.

She pretended not to notice the fierce redness on the back of Sasuke's neck. He seemed equally uncomfortable with meeting her eye as she did his.

"They are only young, Father," he went on to say, carelessly gesturing in their general direction. "You may want to hold off on forcing them down the aisle before they are ready to make such a commitment."

Gods, she'd caused it, hadn't she? The drama? The conflict? Uncertainly, she let go of Sasuke, biting her lip. She should have told him no. Should have told him to go back to bed. Should have said they would talk in the morning.

But what if it hadn't been her crying that had awoken Sasuke? It didn't really look as though he'd been sleeping. What if he'd wanted to talk and discovered she was upset only when he was near her bedroom? After all, Sakura had been as silent as possible. He wouldn't have known she was upset unless he was already outside her door.

"Sasuke, Sakura, if you wish to talk to one another, perhaps using a communal area or waiting until morning would be best," suggested Itachi, only looking back to his father when they nodded their understanding. "As for you raising your hand to Sasuke, Father." Sakura found herself holding her breath when Itachi shifted, somehow seeming taller, demeanour darkening as he warned, "Next time will be your last."

* * *

"Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun," she said weakly, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

They were sat on the loungers near the pool, in full view of the house, the lights from the pool along with several outdoor lights illuminating the darkness, allowing them to see everything.

"Why were you crying?"

His voice was soft, quiet, sounding just as tired as she felt mentally and Sakura felt her lips tugging downwards at the corners.

Could he sense the shift in the dynamics of their relationship? Was he aware of the distance growing between them?

"Everything's changing," she admitted and was unable to meet Sasuke's eye when he looked to her, seeming somewhat startled by the tremble in her voice. "And I'm scared, Sasuke-kun."

There was reluctance in his reply of, "Of me."

How was she supposed to reply to that? Admit the truth and hurt him, or lie and continue living in fear? Had it been anyone other than Sasuke, would she immediately have chosen the selfish option? Was it even a selfish option? Was it only because it was Sasuke that she viewed it as such?

He'd told her several times in the past that she had to stop putting him before herself, but how could she do that?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him all but throwing himself backwards into the lounger, glaring up at the night sky. Unlike when they were at the cabin during the photo shoot, they couldn't see any stars.

Then, his expression smoothed out, softening somewhat. "I'm trying," he told her.

"I know." Was that what hurt the most?

"Do you think we can move on from it?"

She wanted to. More than anything, Sakura wanted to put everything in the past and move on. But as much as it upset her to admit it, it simply didn't work out that way. Things – love, especially – was not as easy as that.

Maybe they were both bad at love? So much so that together, they were toxic? Him because of his unpredictability and his inability to control his temper. Her because she was so willing to stay by his side, no matter how badly she was mistreated.

"I want to."

"But?"

"But I…" It surprised her that there were no tears on her part. Copying Sasuke's example, she lay back on the lounger, focusing on the inky blackness that was the night sky, wishing she was back at the cabin, back under the stars with him. There'd been no pressure there. In a way, they'd been free. "I feel like we both have things we need to address before we can do that." Warily, she turned her head to the side, watching him for a moment before adding quietly, "Your temper scares me, Sasuke-kun and it's only getting worse."

He couldn't look at her. It was clear in the way he kept his eyes on the sky, eyebrows mashing together, arms folding behind his head to hide his clenching fists.

"I…" Could she really admit one of her newfound greatest fears to him? Would he be upset with her because of it? "I don't want to turn into your mother," she confessed in a whisper that was almost lost to the night, fidgeting restlessly with the blanket when he instantly looked her way, eyes going wide. "I'm seeing so many similarities between us and it scares me."

"Don't."

She swallowed hard when he shut his eyes, breathing deeply.

"Don't compare me to him."

"I'm not," she continued to whisper, unable to stop the shake in her voice. "I'm comparing myself to your mother." When he remained silent, waiting for her to continue, she did so, telling him, "Haven't you noticed that all outfits chosen for me by your mother have been similar to hers?" He frowned at that, looking to her with an expression that clearly demanded what that had to do with anything. "When I turned down the outfit your parents chose for me for your party, she kept pushing and pushing me into accepting it."

"And?"

"They want me to dress like her, Sasuke-kun," explained Sakura. "To behave like her."

Sasuke sat up at that, frowning down at her. "You got that from wearing a few dresses styled like my mother's?"

"No, I got that from the way I continuously tried to justify what happened between us," she argued, stunning him and Sakura also sat up, meeting his gaze, heart breaking at the sight of his pain and shame. "You told me that night to stop making excuses for you and to stop letting you hurt me."

Realisation had him paling, memories she couldn't even imagine seeming to take his breath away.

"How didn't I notice?"

The sound of his voice, so broken, so lost, almost broke her. "I didn't notice either."

"They were _preparing_ you like you're some kind of…" His words trailed off, expression one of disgust as Sasuke shook his head. Anger was quickly filling him, causing those clenched fists to shake and Sakura bit her lip worriedly. "They knew exactly what they were doing. Both of them."

"Sasuke-kun, I-"

"Mother knows exactly what it's like to be in a marriage like that, yet she was setting you up for the same future. Being a mindless doll with no life of her own-"

She grabbed his chin when he started yelling, eyes fierce as she forced him to meet her gaze, blanket falling around her hips when she'd leaned forward to grab him.

"We are not your parents."

Silence.

She frowned. "I have no intentions of becoming your mother, Sasuke-kun, but I need you to promise me that you'll do everything possible to avoid becoming your father."

"It feels like no matter what I do, I'm heading down that path regardless."

There was hopelessness in his voice, accompanied by self-loathing and it had her biting down on the inside of her cheek, willing herself to be strong. She had to be strong for him. If he couldn't be strong under the pressure of all that was weighing him down, then she needed to step up. That was what being in love meant, right? Supporting one another through their ugliest times?

"Then I'll put you back on the right path," she declared.

But there was no taking the tiredness from his eyes as he asked, "And what is the right path?"

The right path was…

Frustrated, Sakura looked down when her hands moved, grabbing his and holding onto them tightly.

What was the right path? Who was to say her right path was the right one for Sasuke? Or vice versa? How would she differ from Fugaku if she was to force him to follow her down her path, knowing it wasn't the right one for him?

No matter how their paths differed, surely, the end results should be somewhat similar? Sakura offered a small, weak smile, meeting her boyfriend's gaze with tired determination.

"Happiness."

Even if that meant they had to fall apart to come back together.

* * *

Similarly to Itachi's welcome home party, there was little for Sakura to do save from helping Mikoto with baking Sasuke's birthday cake in the early hours of the morning (when she awoke, there were already so many people in the garden setting everything up and if she was to go out there, she'd only be in the way), long before her boyfriend traipsed into the kitchen, having worked up his appetite in the gym.

She was happy to find that there were no marks from Fugaku's choking – not like there had been when Itachi had choked their father. Did that mean Fugaku hadn't put much into attacking his own son, or that Itachi had truly tried to end his father's life? Sakura found she didn't want the answer to the question. Picturing Itachi in such a violent way simply didn't match up to the man she'd come to–

"What happened last night, Sakura-chan?"

They'd yet to dress up for the party, both women instead in more relaxed clothing as they cleaned the kitchen after breakfast, checking on the cake to make sure no-one else had disturbed it. It was impressive to say the least and Sakura couldn't wait to try it, occasionally eyeing up the fridge.

It felt natural being in the Uchiha Manor, despite the tense atmosphere and it worried her to no end. Was it a show of how accustomed she was to it all? To the bullying? The depression? The suffocating aura of the place when those who lived there weren't acting out the perfect family lives?

Putting away the final dish, she glanced at the older woman from the corner of her eye, stating, "Sasuke-kun wanted to speak with me last night, but Fugaku-san found it to be inappropriate."

"I see-"

"So Sasuke-kun argued and asked him what sort of man he would be, letting me cry myself to sleep."

Dark eyes widened. "You were upset-"

"So then Fugaku-san choked Sasuke-kun." Naturally. "Itachi intervened and defended Sasuke-kun."

Mikoto's hands came to the marble island and she breathed in deeply. "Fugaku…?"

"Choked Sasuke-kun," she finished for her.

Was there some defiance left in the woman after all? Sakura's eyes were drawn to the white-knuckled grip she had on the marble, soon looking to her strained features as she tried and failed to regain composure.

Was she being too harsh on the woman? Perhaps. Did she feel bad? Without a doubt. Would she take back the words? In that particular moment, no. She wouldn't. Not for a second.

"That is…"

Unacceptable? Monstrous? Unforgivable?

"Fugaku has never harmed our children before." She sounded like she was going to be sick, if Sakura was to hazard a guess. In fact, Mikoto was pale all over, eyes tights, lips turned downwards. She couldn't help but wonder if it was the first time she'd witnessed such a raw display of emotion from her before. "I can't-"

When she sucked in a sharp breath, chest and shoulders shaking, Sakura rushed forward, easing the older woman into a chair. She looked ready to collapse, like all the years of abuse were only just taking their toll on her. Heavy, weary dark eyes met hers helplessly, filled with fresh tears and in that moment, Sakura's heart broke, but mainly for entirely selfish reasons.

_That couldn't be her future._

"What do I do, Sakura-chan?"

Why was she asking her? She was barely eighteen years old with absolutely zero life experience. How was she supposed to answer her questions without knowing the potential outcomes? What if she proposed one idea and Fugaku completely lost his mind because of it? What if he hurt her? His sons?

Her mouth opened, but no words would come out, her own tears making themselves known when Mikoto's features crumbled.

"He's hurting you, too," came her broken whisper.

She wasn't talking about Fugaku – Sakura knew that with a simple meeting of their eyes.

"Is he, Sakura-chan?"

* * *

_"Relax," he whispered and she shivered at the feeling of his teeth grazing her earlobe. "They won't expect something like this from someone who's spineless."_

_No. She didn't like the Sasuke who was all over her. She didn't like the new version of him. Like the other day in the queue at the fast food restaurant, Sakura felt humiliated. He wasn't kissing her because he _wanted_ to. He wasn't squashing her into the sofa, hands roaming her body and lips on her neck because it was something he wanted to do. He was doing it to prove a point. The other day, he did it to show others she belonged to him. Now, he was doing it to show he wasn't spineless. He could go against the rules and orders._

_"No, Sasuke-kun." She was annoyed by the lack of conviction in her voice. There was no Naruto lingering around, watching her back and putting Sasuke in his place when necessary. No, she had to stand up for herself. Like hell she was going to let him use her to get back at his parents and Madara, or show that she was his. "I said _no_, Sasuke-kun."_

* * *

"Oh, Gods," gasped Mikoto, hand covering her mouth, a sorrowful sob escaping her. "He has hurt you."

_Be strong_, Sakura willed herself, even as her hands shook from the memory.

After it had first happened – even a week after it happened – it hadn't affected her half as much as it currently did. Had she been in shock? Denial? She wasn't sure. All she did know, was that it hurt. No, it was torturing her.

She wanted to be normal with him again.

And that was the worst part about it.

Was that how Mikoto felt on a daily basis? Afraid, but too in love to leave Fugaku?

Sakura wouldn't lie. Whenever she heard or saw or read about domestic violence, she would roll her eyes with annoyance at the cases when the victim returned to the abusive partner. Why? Why would they go back knowing exactly what would happen to them? Things weren't going to change. Not permanently.

Oh, the irony.

It only went to prove that those who had no fucking idea what they were talking about, should keep their damned mouths shut – herself being included until recently, when she got her first ever taste of being in such a hopeless position. Gods, she'd been so naïve. So frustratingly naïve.

In Mikoto's case: she couldn't simply pack up and leave. Fugaku controlled everything about her, right down to when she spoke and who to.

His company was the foundation for her business and while Sakura had no doubts that Mikoto had built up a reputable status in their town, with enough money to continue her business, should Fugaku turn against her, it could potentially blacklist her entirely. Nobody would want to work with her. Eventually, she would go out of business, possibly even bankrupt.

She had no family to take her in. Somehow, Mikoto would have to find money of her own to move out. Sakura had no idea how successful her interior designing business was, or how much she earned, but she doubted it would be enough to retire should she lose said business.

Although extreme, there was also the possibility of him blacklisting her as a person in Konoha. Due to his standing in their town, he held the power to have her instantly rejected for jobs, to force people to avert their eyes when they saw her in the street, to refuse to serve her in stores. To make a new start, she would have to leave Konoha.

"_-ready to sign the contract. How could he have died overnight?"_

The switch in Mikoto was startling. She shot to her feet, wiping at her face and suddenly regaining her composure, albeit shakily. There was a desperation to the way she ushered Sakura out of the way, pausing to wipe at her face in a surprisingly gentle touch, features momentarily conveying her unbearable guilt and apologies.

By the time Fugaku entered the kitchen, there was a cup of coffee awaiting him on the island, while she and Mikoto unnecessarily scrubbed at the worktops they'd already cleaned. He didn't pause in accepting the coffee, didn't even look at either of them as he sipped at it.

"His son?" he demanded, clearly perturbed by the thought. "My belief was that he was too young to take over the company." A pause and Sakura found herself stealing a glance at the man. He was scowling down at his coffee, listening intently to whatever was being said. Then, he muttered, "I was going into business with Rasa – not a child who has no idea what they are doing."

Turning, Mikoto approached the island, placing down a plate of food from breakfast, since Fugaku had failed to join the rest of them. She moved away without looking at him, eyes focused downwards.

"I am not taking the risk of branching out to Suna if I am to work with a child. The understanding was that I would be in business with Rasa – not his inexperienced son." Gritting his teeth, he ignored his breakfast entirely and turned on his heel, leaving the kitchen, snapping, "Stop repeating yourself. I know he is dead, now understand that this deal has died with him. I…"

She breathed out a deep sigh of relief, grateful that he had left without incident.

"We should get ready, Sakura-chan," Mikoto informed her. "The guests will be arriving shortly."

She could only nod.

* * *

She couldn't go out there.

For what had to be the hundredth time since getting ready, Sakura stared at her reflection in the overly large venetian mirror stationed by the door of the bedroom.

Deciding she loved the look of her hair when curled, she'd done what she could to recreate the look Hiroki had produced. While she'd never curled her hair before, Sakura liked to believe she'd done a fairly decent job (the back had been tricky as hell, but even that seemed to be okay). The curls didn't go all the way up to her roots, but instead started halfway through the length of her hair, creating volume and a slight bounce that she _adored._

As for her makeup, she'd chosen to be daring and had gone with a subtle, shimmering red eyeshadow, though used a couple other shades to define it. It'd taken several tutorial videos online for her to create the look she desired, only for her to almost ruin it entirely while gluing on false lashes (at one point, she'd accidentally stuck it on diagonally somehow, so that it ended up halfway up her eyelid). The different shades of red made her eyes so bright that Sakura continuously stole glances at them, admiring just how green they really were.

It was her dress that had her worried. The shoes, too.

She loved them – she really, truly did. But it was not something she would have ever dreamed of wearing to a party hosted by the Uchiha family. Even if Mikoto hadn't chosen her outfit, Sakura remained respectful and the shortest her skirt would ever go was halfway up her thighs (even then, that was risky).

The dress she'd scoured the stores and online shops for was incredibly short. Yes, it kept everything covered, but it was what was affectionately labelled as a 'wrap' dress, meaning there was a gap between the fabric which just so happened to be on her thighs.

_But_. That wasn't the issue.

Her beautiful, _beautiful_ red dress with a white blossom pattern had something Sakura had only ever dreamed of wearing.

A plunging neckline.

It gave Ino's wardrobe a run for its money.

The neckline was so low that she could not wear a bra with the dress without looking ridiculous, but fortunately for her, it came with padding, giving her breasts an extra boost. Oh, they looked great. Absolutely phenomenal, even – but it wasn't what had her concerned.

By going to Sasuke's party in such a dress, she would be giving Fugaku (and yes, Mikoto, too) a huge middle finger. She would be making a public stand against them. She would be letting them know in front of all their guests that they were not going to control her.

Was she overdressed or possibly even under-dressed (considering the lack of dress)? A quick peek out of the window told Sakura that no, she was not. Most of the girls attending the party seemed to wearing similar length dresses and that included her best friend, who was currently–

Wait, was that _Karin?_

Ino had brought _Karin,_ of all the freaking people?

Her supposed best friend was wearing her signature colour – purple – and the dress was heart-breaking in the way it accentuated the gifts she'd been given. It looked to be made of a chiffon material, or something that resembled it. Although she didn't need it to, it pinched in at her waist, making the swell of her hips obvious and enticing. However, as they always were, her breasts were the centre of attention, the neckline almost reaching her bellybutton.

Gods, it was like Ino had sensed what Sakura was planning on doing and had to one-up her.

Sakura's eyes widened a fraction when Ino turned, revealing to her that a great deal of her back was also on show.

Where was Sasuke? She bit the inside of her cheek anxiously, searching for him. It took her several moments before she managed to spot him standing with Naruto and the blond's parents. It stunned her to see his father – Minato was usually extremely busy, way too busy to attend events such as his son's friend's eighteenth birthday party. But there–

A knock at the door caused Sakura to drop the curtain and she turned on her heel, inwardly grimacing as she scolded herself, reminding herself of the solid wood flooring that her heels would surely damage if she wasn't careful.

Warily, she cracked the door open, sticking her head around the side and she sighed with relief at the sight of Itachi on the other side of the door, offering her a faint smile.

"The party started half an hour ago," he informed her like she didn't already know.

"Has Sasuke-kun noticed I'm not there?" His silence had her smiling weakly for a brief second. "Then I can take as long as I want."

He frowned at that, hand slowly coming to the door and easing it further back, making her sigh again as she stepped away, allowing him to view her outfit in full.

It certainly took him by surprise – she could tell from the way his eyes widened a fraction, lips parting ever so slightly.

And then he swallowed.

_And blushed._

"You look…"

Anxiety almost made it impossible to breathe. "Is it too much? I wanted to make a statement but now I'm not sure if this is-"

"Incredibly…" he began, in awe. Like Itachi suddenly caught himself, he looked away, adding, "Alluring."

Alluring?

The giddiness made it difficult not to smile and she couldn't help but look away shyly. When had she ever been called alluring? Never. She'd never felt sexy in her life.

"Perhaps it would be best to join the party now?"

It floored her that he asked, when she was certain he'd meant it as a statement. Had her appearance really affected him in such a way? Stepping out of the bedroom, Sakura tried to ignore her jelly-like legs, smiling to herself when Itachi gave her more space, holding out his arm in a gesture that told her to lead the way.

The entire way, she could feel his eyes on her, roaming her body and while it would have angered her had it been anyone else, she found herself greedily soaking up the attention.

There was a single, breathy chuckle from behind her once they reached the bottom of the stairs and she glanced over her shoulder at Itachi, raising an eyebrow.

"My brother doesn't know how lucky he is, Sakura."

Why did that mean more to her than the previous compliments?

"Go," he ordered gently with a nod. "I will join you after."

She frowned at that and turned fully. With her heels, they were much closer in height, closing the gap by over four inches. "You're not coming?" The pause in his response lasted too long and she couldn't describe the sickening weight that suddenly entered her stomach. "You're bringing a date."

Why did that make her feel so… uncomfortable?

Was it because of their shared moments when no-one else was around? The almost kisses? The conversations they shared? The comforting? The embraces? The–

"…Oh."

She felt stupid, all of a sudden. Why the hell was she upset about her boyfriend's brother bringing a date? It shouldn't bother her in the least. If anything, she was supposed to feel happy for him. But she wasn't because for some sickening reason, it _hurt_. Way more than it should considering they only had 'heat of the moment' interactions. It wasn't supposed to be because they had feelings for each other.

"Sakura…"

The way he said her name had her taking a step back, because like hell was she accepting his pity. "I'm going to go wish Sasuke-kun a happy birthday," she told him, smiling. "Good luck with your date."

It wasn't said meaningfully, but Itachi didn't comment, allowing her to leave.


	17. Feel Something, Feel Nothing

**Chapter 17**

**Feel Something, Feel Nothing**

* * *

The garden was absurdly busy, though Sakura knew it was only because of her mood's sudden nosedive that she felt such a way and instead of greeting people properly when they called out to her, she offered them mere smiles, eyes too busy searching for her boyfriend.

Momentarily, she spotted the incredulous stares of his parents and her supposed best friend, but paid them no mind. Their reactions to her statement no longer mattered and she inwardly rejoiced when she found Sasuke standing close to the buffet food, already making her way to the large white marquee.

"Wow, Sakura-chan," Naruto said with an appreciative whistle.

It warmed her heart when Sasuke took several moments to think of a comment for her appearance and she was pretty damn sure that he was fighting back a blush, especially when he ducked his head somewhat, forcing his bangs to come forward so that outsiders to their conversation wouldn't be able to see it.

"Finally," said the blond with a knowing grin, slapping him on the back, ignoring his deathly glare. "A normal human reaction!"

Only after snarling at him to leave them did Sasuke speak to her, admiring her dress with his back to the guests. "This is your statement."

Her cheeks felt like they were never going to cool down. "Yeah. Is it too much?"

"To them?" he asked rhetorically. "Perhaps."

Was it normal for her heart to feel like it was skipping beats? "And… to you?"

"To me?" A slow, lazy smirk pulled on the corner of his lips, dark eyes meeting hers and taking her breath away with the intensity of them. "You look-"

"_Forehead!"_

_No_, Sakura despaired, eyes desperately searching Sasuke's features, willing him – all but pleading with him – to continue with whatever he'd been about to say, but she knew he wouldn't. Not when Ino strutted her way over to them with Karin trailing alongside her, interrupting their conversation without a care. Sakura had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time it happened that day, either.

"What?" she asked irritably, coming to stand beside Sasuke, forcing them to remain opposite them. If Ino draped herself all over her boyfriend like she usually did… "We were talking."

"And now you're talking to us," stated Karin.

Gods, how was it possible to dislike someone so intensely? Karin had always rubbed her the wrong way since their first year of high school, when she and a handful of other girls had relentlessly picked on her. No matter how far out of her way she went to avoid them, they always found some way of tormenting her. It was why Ino had disliked them, too.

But now there they were, like they'd been friends all their lives.

And it hurt.

"Am I?" responded Sakura in a drawl. She glanced to her boyfriend, then over in the direction of Itachi's friends. "Oh, look, Sasuke-kun. Relevant people are calling our names."

Ignoring Karin's rage, she grabbed Sasuke's hand, dragging him behind her as she stomped her way over to Deidara and Kisame, thankful when they greeted her without pause. At least it didn't look like she'd barged in on their conversation and she grinned up at them, even giving a twirl when Deidara instructed her too.

"Kurotsuchi's going to be on your back again about another shoot," he told her, smirking.

Wait, she was coming? "Have you seen the pictures?"

He shook his head, looking around himself as he took in the party. She had to commend him on not looking overly impressed, because Sakura hadn't been able to stop staring while it was all being set up. Mikoto hadn't held anything back while planning the party. There was a wide variety of food – buffet tables under a humongous, white marquee, food stalls scattered throughout the garden and even a bar had been set up to the far side of the garden, easily taking up twenty or so feet. Then, there was the DJ's booth – he'd set up a freaking makeshift stage! Gods, so much was going on that it was almost overwhelming.

"She's holding onto them and wants to show all the models together."

She did? But that was the first Sakura heard about it. Frowning, she asked, "Since when?"

There was obvious surprise on his face when he met her eye. "Itachi didn't tell you?"

No. It seemed like he didn't tell her anything as of late. They'd gone from great communication and friendship, to awkward territory that she was quickly growing to despise.

"It's hardly an issue. They're here now, so just ask them," muttered Kisame with a roll of his eyes.

And her throat felt painfully dry when she looked over to the doorway, when she saw them walking in arm-in-arm.

Similar to all other times she'd seen the older woman, Kurotsuchi was flawless. Her short, black hair framed her features, styled to add more volume and the outfit she'd chosen was certainly working to add to her charm. The black velvet top was cut short and though plain, the short, high waisted skirt made up for it ten times over with the intricate beading design.

They looked well suited.

Apparently, Sakura was not the only one who thought so, as a genuine smile lit up Mikoto's face while she greeted them, something she said making Kurotsuchi blush.

"When did that happen?"

She looked to Sasuke, unable to shift the hurt in her heart as she repeated his question several times in her mind, because _when_ the hell had that happened? When Itachi was almost kissing her? When he was holding her?

Deidara was watching her knowingly, she noticed, but didn't have the energy necessary to shoo him off or respond in some way.

"During the shoot, I guess," answered Deidara, shrugging. "Kurotsuchi's always liked pretty things, yeah. Once she has her eye set on something, she's relentless."

Itachi wouldn't even look her way, Sakura noted with a hint of anger. The least he could have done was admit to what he'd–

What had he done, exactly? Asked a woman his own age out as a single man? She was being ridiculous, wasn't she?

Ridiculous or not, it hurt. Seeing how good they looked together hurt. Seeing Mikoto warmly accepting Kurotsuchi hurt.

"Oi, Sasuke-chan," came a lilting voice from behind them, the sound of it making her sigh. If he was around for too long, Itachi would join them without a shadow of a doubt and she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to him. "Your guests are feeling neglected."

There was no choice but to turn with her boyfriend, his arm fixed around her waist. She greeted Shisui with a smile, one as warm as she could possibly give, while mentally listing off reasons to excuse herself so she could sort the mess in her head out.

"Don't call me that," he muttered, scowling.

She shouldn't be so upset that Itachi had a date, but she was.

She shouldn't feel like a hole had been punched through her stomach seeing them together, arms linked, but she did.

She shouldn't want to demand answers from the older Uchiha brother, to demand, out of pure jealousy, what the hell he was doing with Kurotsuchi, but she ached to do so.

He'd gotten under her skin, hadn't he? Somewhere down the line, between all the kind smiles and wise words, between his genuine concern for her well being and annoyance at her own tendency to accept others hurting her, between the almost kisses and the longing to cross that line, she'd let him in.

Feeling sick with herself, sick with Itachi and sick with Uchiha family as a whole, Sakura ached to get away from them. To distance herself. But she couldn't, could she? She was, in a sense, trapped. It was like the arm around her waist would still be there long after Sasuke let her go, keeping her with him, refusing to let her leave his sight.

When her eyes started to trail back to the hurtful sight at the other end of the garden, she paused when she met blue eyes already looking her way, Ino's frown of concern damn near crumbling her hold on the emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

"_Talk?"_ she mouthed to her.

Sakura's only answer was to excuse herself from the conversation between Sasuke and Shisui, meeting the blonde in the middle, grateful when Ino immediately covered their conversation by pretending to be busy admiring the cut of Sakura's dress, eyes wide with want.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, then smiled, adding in a louder voice, "That's all it cost? Do they still have them?"

"I…" Gods, her throat was tight. Unlike her best friend, she was unable to keep up with the lie so kept her head forward, allowing her hair to hide her expression. "I'm so confused, Ino."

All pretences dropped momentarily, but Ino saved herself, playing with her hair, pretending to give it extra volume before seeing how it looked brushed back. "With Sasuke-kun?"

The question brought her guards back up, a voice in the back of her mind warning Sakura about Ino's tendencies to throw herself at Sasuke. Why in the hell was she about to give her more ammunition? By confessing they had problems, that she was conflicted about a variety of things, she was giving Ino an opening, wasn't she?

"About university," she muttered instead. The dead pan she was rewarded with had her heart breaking as she realised that yes, part of Ino _had_ been hoping to hear news of an impending break up or fight. "Seeing everyone here together makes me want to stay, but-"

"Are you for real, Sakura?"

The annoyance in her tone made Sakura frown. "Yeah, I-"

A thin, blonde eyebrow twitched. "You're telling me you looked like you were about to have a major breakdown because of _university_?"

_Maybe if you were trustworthy you'd know the truth_, she mentally sneered in return.

"Gods, Sakura, get a grip," snapped Ino and she turned away, saying over her shoulder, "There's bigger problems in life."

_Like where to get your next drink from? Like plotting how to break up a relationship?_

The harsh words stunned even Sakura, but she didn't focus on them for too long, hands restlessly fidgeting in front of herself.

It seemed everyone had arrived, the garden packed with well-wishers (some she recognised and greeted with warm smiles) and it took her several minutes to find her boyfriend as he reluctantly made his rounds, greeting and thanking his guests. Unlike when Itachi had to play the role of host, Sasuke didn't stick around for long unless he genuinely found the person interesting.

Whether it was because of her hurt or not, Sakura found herself preferring his honesty. Uninteresting? He was out of there. There were no false smiles or playing nice.

They seemed so close, she thought, discreetly looking to the new couple. Kurotsuchi seemed at total ease with his friends and family, managing to hold conversations and keep them going, occasionally making the group erupt with laughter at something she said. It was stupid, she told herself, that even Itachi laughed. How often had he laughed around her? Sakura couldn't recall ever making him laugh. There was always too much drama with them.

Why did it even bother her?

It didn't matter _why_. What mattered was that it hurt. If it hurt, it hurt. No explanations were necessary, in her eyes. Not when her stomach continued to churn like she'd accompanied Naruto on a night of binge eating ramen. Just looking at them together made the sickening feeling increase and while she felt petty and stupid for feeling that way, she couldn't stop it.

So lost in her own teenage drama and inner turmoil, she failed to notice the objects of her pain approaching her until it was too late, leaving her to force a smile and greet Kurotsuchi politely.

Gods, pretending like everything was fine, like her chest wasn't being mercilessly crushed was a killer.

"You're hard to get hold of," said Kurotsuchi, smiling. "The photos are ready – Itachi said you'd rather view them away from the other models, though?"

It was a question? "I wasn't even aware there was a second option."

Her blunt tone took them both by surprise, it seemed. "Oh."

"Sorry," Sakura quickly tried to dissipate the awkward atmosphere she'd created. It wasn't Kurotsuchi's fault, was it? Nervously, she scratched the back of her head, chuckling. "My head's kind of all over the place – I quit my job, you see and-"

"Oh, I saw the video," she informed her, the drama of her life obviously being a source of enjoyment to her. "Great work standing up for yourself. That woman seemed like a bitch."

"Understatement."

Briefly, she met Itachi's gaze, biting the inside of her cheek as she barely held back the urge to demand what the hell he was playing at. He was giving nothing away, appearing relaxed although she _did_ notice the way their arms had unlinked when they came to stand in front of her – they hadn't for anyone else. What did that mean? Did it even mean anything?

Did he enjoy leading her on?

Was that what he was doing?

"Anyway," Kurotsuchi almost stressed the word, making Sakura focus on her once more. "Would you be willing to work with me in the future, Sakura? I have several photo shoots in mind and I think you'd be the perfect model for them."

Instinct told her to say no. She wanted to tell her she had no intention of ever working with her again. But Sakura once more tried to rationalise the situation, reminding herself that Kurotsuchi was merely caught in the middle of whatever game it was Itachi was playing. Why should her business suffer? Why should Sakura miss out on potentially life changing opportunities?

"I'd love to," she told her.

Another grin. "Great. I would say that I'll contact you, but like I said: difficult. Itachi can act as a mediator, okay?"

No, she wanted to argue. She didn't want that. But that would only arouse suspicion, so Sakura instead nodded. "Okay."

"Well, I'm gonna go annoy Deidara-nii," she informed Itachi, hand coming to rest on his bicep. "I'll try not to take too long."

She pretended not to notice, instead focusing on the buffet that many had gathered around, watching as Kiba and Choji scooped generous helpings onto their already full plates. Much to her surprise (and horror, as she only just realised how much she'd been focusing on her upset), she spotted her parents standing with Sasuke's, talking animatedly, a sore contrast to the reserved Uchiha who politely replied.

"Sakura-"

"Do you really think it's wise to talk about it out here?" she asked, putting on a smile to make sure nobody caught on.

Worry ate away at her as Itachi took a moment to play along, though she was soon revisited by the Itachi of the welcome home party. The gracious host. The one who was capable of showing great interest and laughing along without meaning a single second of it.

"You're upset."

"Of course-" Cover nearly blown, she suddenly grinned, like Itachi was telling her something about his newfound love. Gods, just the act made her restless. "After," she said. "Okay?"

"Yes."

It was at that point that Sasuke made his return, having finally made it halfway through his guests and clearly needing a break. The sight of her boyfriend had her pouting minutely, sad that he couldn't enjoy his birthday party as he instead had to play nice with everyone. There was nothing worse than playing host.

"What's going on?"

Maybe it was sly of her, but Sakura didn't regret saying, "Itachi was just about to tell me how he started dating Kurotsuchi-san."

"Oh?" the younger brother hummed. "How?"

Much to her annoyance, there was no falter in his lie – or was it a lie? "The same way any other relationship starts – we spoke. I found her company enjoyable. I asked her to accompany me here today."

There was a sudden sigh of annoyance when Sasuke looked over her shoulder and when she followed his line of sight, taking half a step back, she saw Fugaku faintly tipping his head back, silently ordering his son to join him. Simultaneously (explaining his growing annoyance), a group of their friends from school began to approach him, forcing him to choose between the two.

"Sorry," Sasuke muttered, hand coming to her waist.

She smiled and shook her head. "I need to finish off my surprise for you, anyway," she told him. "Your mother has helped so much with it, but there's still loads to do."

While it was true that her surprise had taken a lot of hard work and organising, the truth was that it'd already been taken care of. There was nothing left to do other than present it to him. Understanding that because it involved his precious car, he could potentially react badly (although shouldn't, because she hadn't done anything bad), she was choosing to do it away from everyone else.

"Sounds like a big job," commented Itachi.

Sasuke was obviously curious, pausing in leaving, allowing their friends to grow closer and she spotted Fugaku watching them intently, perhaps waiting for his son to make eye contact again so that he could stress at him to hurry the hell up.

"Hopefully worth it," she replied, then smiled at her boyfriend. "You can have it when everyone leaves."

"Why not before?"

Oh, those dirty thoughts had better get the hell out of his head. "Because it involves leaving the party."

For a split second, there was clear disappointment, both making her skin tingle in some places, but crawl in others and in response to the feeling, her heart gave a horrible squeeze, because _it shouldn't be like that_. She shouldn't feel fear whenever her boyfriend thought of her sexually, but she did.

Completely out of character for him, he asked, "If it's finished sooner, can't I see it? You can give it to me and once the party's over, we'll leave."

It _would_ be nice to see his reaction sooner rather than later, Sakura decided, smiling at his sudden enthusiasm. Part of her knew that it was because he was overwhelmed with being the centre of attention, but she didn't care.

At her nod, he then said, "Nii-san, Mother's too busy to help. Will you?"

Her heart sank.

But before either of them could disagree, said friends reached them, loudly wishing Sasuke a happy birthday, telling him where the gifts had been dropped off and what they thought of the party. Only momentarily did she have a part in the conversation and it soon became apparent that it no longer involved her or Itachi, making them eye each other, silently deciding to leave.

"I'm going to go sort your gift out," she told her boyfriend while the others talked amongst themselves, giving the hand on her waist a gentle squeeze before leaning up to kiss his cheek.

Much to her embarrassment, however, Sasuke turned his head to the side and Sakura felt her entire face _rage_ with her blush, only just stopping short of kissing his hair. The arm around her waist flexed – whether it was him apologising or… She wasn't sure.

All she did know, was that he… he'd rejected her. In front of their friends and Itachi.

There was only so much humiliation she could withstand in one day, Sakura decided, pulling out of his hold. It felt like everyone was watching them (though probably weren't), like they were laughing at the rejection.

"See you," she said awkwardly and turned, hurrying the hell out of there, face burning.

Gods, could she handle anything else?

Heart thundering away in her chest, palms sweating and face feeling like it would forever be red, Sakura rushed back into the home, heading straight for her room.

Only seconds into reaching the upstairs hallway, she felt a hand circling around her wrist, all but yanking her into a different bedroom, the door shutting silently behind them. In that time, she feared the worst. She envisioned that she was in the gaming room and was about to be pinned to the sofa all over again, but then she was given the chance to take in her surroundings, mouth parting in surprise to find that it was Itachi's bedroom.

How embarrassed did a person have to be to fail to notice they were being followed?

She watched as he took several steps back, leaning on the desk situated to the right of the room, his computer on, but locked.

Everything about Itachi's bedroom screamed entitlement, but with the bare minimum to decorate it and make it personal, it seemed. His bed was way too big for one person, she thought to herself, however admired that he had one with four posters, since most people wanted mainstream beds nowadays – including herself. Then there was the matching furniture, all in the same deep shade of brown. She couldn't tell what wood it was and didn't care to know. The only item that really stood out to her was a picture on his bedside table, consisting of himself, Shisui and Sasuke, who was stuck between the two older men. They were all smiling genuinely, she noted with a small amount of warmth, her own soft smile taking the edge off her humiliation.

"You're upset," he repeated his earlier statement.

It was with a sigh that Sakura considered leaving the room, leaving him, but she knew it wouldn't solve anything. No, it was much better to say her piece, hear his side and air it all out, then leave.

She simply wished it didn't hurt.

"You're dating Kurotsuchi-san," was her only answer.

Like herself, he sighed, features seemingly troubled. "Why does it upset you?"

Why? Hadn't she been asking herself that for the past hour? Instead of enjoying the spectacular party that had been thrown for Sasuke, she was sulking because his older brother brought a date. Gods, she wasn't even supposed to care. _Why_ did she care?

What happened between them was purely from the heat of the moment. It was from emotional upset and being so riled up. None of that meant they had feelings for one another, but then, that horrible, nauseating sensation in the pit of her stomach told her differently. It forced her to view all the gentle looks, the near kisses, the embraces, differently.

They weren't just the heat of the moment, were they?

She, Haruno Sakura, had feelings for her boyfriend's older brother.

"Sakura?"

She wished he'd stop looking at her like that. With that expression that told her of his conflicting emotions, that told her he was feeling the same things she was, that he _understood_ so badly it hurt him, too.

When his head dipped slightly, trying to catch her eye, she frowned. "Do you like her?"

He seemed surprised by her less than subtle change, also frowning. "She's a good person-"

"That's not what I asked," said Sakura and she pulled on the ruffles of her dress. Warily, she met his eye from beneath her lashes, biting her lip for a second. "Do you have feelings for her?"

It took Itachi a moment to reply, eyes never leaving hers. "…No."

"Then why are you stringing her along like that?" she couldn't help but demand, glaring and dropping the fabric. "It's not fair on anyone."

"You didn't answer my question."

"You…" Fingers ran through her hair as Sakura turned on her heel, trying to find something else to focus on, but there was nothing. Nothing about Itachi's room stood out and it irked her, for some odd reason. "I wish you wouldn't look at me like that," she whispered, swallowing. "Like…"

She heard him moving, could sense him approaching and coming to stand in front of her, stopping her pacing before it'd even started. His hand circled around her wrist, eyes drawn to the contact and he breathed out a sigh, eyes shutting.

"This is wrong, Sakura," he murmured softly. "These feelings are wrong." Finally, he met her gaze and she felt her heart give a not-so-unwelcome pang when he said, "My want to pursue those feelings and see where we end up is wrong."

"You're not wholly at fault here, Itachi." Was it the tension around them that made it impossible to speak any louder? Was it the fear of someone overhearing them? "I'm the one in a relationship. I'm the one who keeps calling you."

"You needed assistance-"

Daringly, her fingertips came to his lips tenderly, silencing him. "Let me finish." He could only nod. "Things are…" The weight of her confession threatened to overwhelm her with emotion and she swallowed hard. "Things are going from bad to worse with Sasuke-kun and I…" She dropped her hand, biting her lip again. "I'm scared of him – or his mood swings."

The words pained him, it was clear to her from the look in his eyes. "You're realising how toxic your relationship is."

And she wanted more.

She wanted change.

Tears filled her eyes. "I-I'm so tired of being scared. We can't even… I can't even kiss him anymore without thinking of…"

Even though her sentence had trailed off, Itachi knew where it was going and thankfully didn't push her to elaborate. "What Sasuke did is inexcusable, and your strength and determination has been admirable, Sakura. But no-one is expecting you to be able to move forward from this. I believe part of Sasuke knows it, too."

But the words didn't comfort her like they were supposed to. "But he needs me. B-But how am I supposed to help him when I feel useless and worthless and _awful_ and-"

Itachi stopped her tirade by copying her earlier movements, covering her lips with a single finger. "You feel obligated to stay."

Obligation. Was that what it was? Was that why she stayed? No, it couldn't be, her heart pleaded with her. Love and obligation where two completely different things – no correlation whatsoever. There was no way to mix them up.

They lost their spark, that was all.

They were finding themselves.

They were in a rough patch.

They would get through it.

They would. Together.

They had to.

"Do you recall the time when you fell at the beach house?" he questioned softly, hand trailing to her jaw, fingers lacing through her hair, thumb stroking just below her eye and catching the lone tear. "You had a graze covering a great deal of your thigh." She nodded silently, unable to look away. She'd been around thirteen at the time, she believed. "I took care of you, did I not?" Again, she nodded, the weight on her chest easing somewhat at his next words, as he told her, "Allow me to take care of you again. You are too in love with my brother to leave him, but please, if he upsets you, confide in me. Do not bottle it up."

Words failed her. There was nothing she could say to counter what he'd said, or pursue the conversation further. So, Sakura took a risk in closing the distance between them, her forehead coming to rest on his collarbone, the hand that had been holding her face slipping to the back of her head, surprising her by immediately holding her there, his other hand coming to her lower back.

His heart was beating so fast, Sakura noticed, eyes shutting, ears focusing entirely on the sound.

There was something about the way he held her, the way it made her feel, that made Sakura want to just… let go. Like in his arms, nothing mattered. The perfect comforting embrace after a difficult, stressful day.

Her head shifted slightly and like that was approval for him to move, he did so, thumb gently stroking her lower back, making her bite her lip, willing the rampant beating of her heart to calm down. The wish to calm down didn't change the fact that she wanted the flimsy fabric of her dress to disappear, her body aching to feel his fingers on her bare skin, caressing her–

Sakura's eyes widened.

But for once, she didn't step away. She didn't make any move that told Itachi she was uncomfortable.

Instead, she tilted her head back, her stomach warming at the closeness.

Slowly, cautiously, her arms came up, hands trailing up his chest, eyes focusing on his lips.

Wrong. It was all so wrong. But something in her heart begged of her to continue, to see what would happen if she was to lean just that little bit closer, if she was to stretch just that little bit further.

Seeing Itachi with Kurotsuchi, seeing how at ease they were in each other's company, had struck her. It'd hurt her deeper than she ever would've imagined. Asking why he'd decided on bringing her to his brother's party as his date would have to wait until later, however, as it would surely shatter the moment if she did.

Her cheeks felt hot when he ran his fingers through her hair again, Sakura noticed and ignoring her head, she shut her eyes, lips parting in anticipation.

Once that line was crossed, it was over. It would be impossible to forget. There would be no coming back from it.

But as his lips finally descended to hers, she found herself not caring.

It was… different. Like his kiss drowned out all the noise, silencing her thoughts. All she could focus on was Itachi. Itachi's hand cradling her face, bringing their lips back together when they parted for air. Itachi's lips and the way they moved with hers, insistent and passionate, making her insides clench in a way she had never experienced before. His breath fanning over her, hot as it mixed with hers. His smell, comforting and… and like _home_. The longing in his dark eyes before they shut again, kissing her deeply, their tongues slowly, teasingly coming into contact, kept her from catching her breath, heart clenching.

The kiss was intoxicating and she wanted more of it. More of him.

Could they, though?

When they parted once more, her eyes remained shut, head dipping and breath leaving her shakily as Itachi kissed her forehead tenderly.

At some point, her fingers had tangled in his shirt, but she paid the faint creases no mind. Everything felt way too warm, her shallow breaths somehow making that coil in her stomach tighten further, especially when paired with his hold on her.

"I should go back to the party," she whispered without conviction.

Weakly, she pulled away, stepping backwards and turning towards the door.

"Sakura."

Looking at him would break her, she knew it would, but she couldn't help it, glancing over her shoulder at Itachi, unable to deny the swell of want – of need – that rushed through her at the sight of him, his perfect composure nowhere to be seen.

At the same time as he reached out to her, he murmured, "Don't go."

Was it the tension that had her allowing him to pull her closer, to reclaim her lips? Was it total unadulterated passion that had her returning the kiss with equal need? That had her arching into him, aching to keep the distance non-existent between them?

Her breath caught as they stumbled backwards, her lower back coming into contact with his dresser before Itachi surprised Sakura by lifting her with ease, setting her down on it. It was naturally that her legs parted, dress hiking higher until it was barely touching her thighs at all, granting him unspoken permission to move closer to her. His hand fell flat to the wall behind her, other white knuckled next to her thigh, brow creasing.

"It's okay," she breathed between kisses, unable to connect the voice as her own, briefly meeting his eye. "You can touch me."

He didn't need telling twice, hands instantly seeking out her smooth thighs, her skin tingling at the feeling of them finally touching, the pressure of his grip eliciting a short-lived, breathy moan that only seemed to spur him on. The hold on her grew bolder, more confident, as they slid up her thighs, clutching at her ass and making her hiss with need when she was yanked forward, their hips pressing together deliciously.

Unlike with Sasuke, there was no fear. She didn't feel trapped. She had equal control over the kiss, her hands free to roam Itachi's body, soon settling on running through his hair, keeping their lips connected with their desperate kisses. Her back arched again at the same time as he leaned forward, forcing her back, her head touching his mirror, unable to stop her quiet moan when his hips rolled into hers, allowing her to feel his reaction to her.

_More, _she wanted to beg, leg instinctively wrapping around his waist, heel pressing to his ass, forcing him closer, toes curling once he was.

She needed more of him.

But the calling of Itachi's name – and not from her – had them freezing, their once passionate grips turning to fear of being caught. She'd almost missed it at first, too caught up in the way he nibbled her bottom lip, the way his tongue then darted across to soothe the area, soon coming into contact with hers, swallowing her moan.

"_Itachi? You up here? Your date's looking for you."_

Shisui.

Wide green eyes met Itachi's and she quickly reached up, wiping the lipstick from his lips while he gently placed her down from the dresser, guiding her backwards and to his closet. She didn't argue. Instead, she paused in shutting the slatted doors, daring to step closer for a final kiss before she hid away.

He took several moments to compose himself, her eyes worriedly watching the bedroom door through the slats, looking away shyly when he fixed himself in his pants. Gods, she felt like a peeping tom, but knew it was necessary. Their hanging out so much together wasn't that much of an issue. Neither was doing a photo shoot together. But spending time together in his bedroom? With the door shut? Looking as flustered at they did? _That_ would be a problem.

There was a knock on his door, followed by Shisui calling through it, _"Itachi?"_

While he answered the door, she fixed her dress, cheeks deepening in their blush when she noticed the top half of her dress was askew, breast half hanging out and almost causing a nip-slip. Had Itachi noticed? She doubted it'd been that way the entire time. It would've happened as a result from their kissing.

"What is it, Shisui?"

Gods, what was she thinking kissing Itachi? Sakura refrained from moving, for her heels would surely give her position away, eyes glued to Itachi's back. He was too big for her to see around him, so she couldn't tell if Shisui was suspicious or alone or whatever.

Shit.

A shaking hand ran through her curls, ruffling her hair nervously since he'd been running his hands through it so much. Was it obvious? Would she have to go and restyle it?

"Kurotsuchi-san is looking for you."

Kurotsuchi.

The suffocating heat that she hadn't been able to get enough of extinguished, leaving her cold.

"Your date?"

"I know who she is, Shisui," Itachi replied, agitation making itself known.

"Then what are you doing up here?" he demanded and she saw the door budge, like he pushed against it. Her stomach twisted in response, eyes widening as they swept through the room, trying to see if any evidence had been left behind. "Get down there to the beautiful woman who's dying to hang off your arm."

Oh, _there_ was the hurt that'd disappeared during their kiss, Sakura realised, unable to look as Itachi hesitated in the doorway. She knew it would be suspicious if he stayed – he'd have no plausible reason to – but it didn't stop her from wanting him to.

Gods, what was she even thinking?

All of it – every second in his presence, feeling the way she did – was wrong. Unforgivably, inexcusably wrong. How the hell was she supposed to look Sasuke in the eye now? It was hard enough _wanting_ to kiss Itachi, or almost kissing him. Only seconds ago, she'd had him grinding against her, had her moaning in his ear and kissing him with more passion than she'd felt in her entire life.

"I will be down in a moment."

"Why?" asked Shisui suspiciously. "Is someone here?"

There was a sigh and Sakura held her breath when the door was opened further, Itachi stepping aside with a brief look of annoyance, murmuring, "Does it look like I have someone in here?"

Shisui stepped into the room, eyes narrowing and it took her a few moments to realise he was playing up being detective, teasing his cousin for a short while until he asked, somewhat worriedly, "What's up?"

"Nothing-"

"Itachi."

Another sigh. "A headache. That's all."

"I'm sure Sasuke-chan won't mind you resting for a while."

Faintly, Itachi smirked. "How many times has he asked you not to call him that?"

Shisui's smirk was almost devilish. "I've lost count. He'll have to start over again."

Bastards, she thought with an inward huff of amusement. They'd – Shisui, especially – had always enjoyed tormenting Sasuke growing up. It'd been an interesting change to her, seeing Sasuke taking on the role of the inferior one of the group. Usually, it was her or Naruto – no, not even Naruto, due to his father's standing in their town. Meaning it was always her.

"I cannot rest," said Itachi with another sigh and she saw him rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Sasuke will never forgive me for missing his birthday."

Or for making out with his girlfriend.

She swallowed, biting down on her lip as she felt a surge of guilt washing over her, threatening to drown her under its weight.

"I'll send him up so you can explain-"

"No," Itachi responded, almost too quickly. "I will come down in a moment once I have taken some painkillers."

Apparently accepting the lie, she saw Shisui nodding in understanding, saying over his shoulder while leaving, "I'll keep Kurotsuchi-san company for you. Can't leave a woman like that alone."

"You will be doing me a favour."

Green eyes widened at his offhanded words, especially when Shisui paused, glancing up at his younger cousin in surprise. "You don't like her?"

He sighed again, annoying her by saying, "I don't want to-"

Talk about it? Was it because she was present? Had he lied to her about his feelings for Kurotsuchi? Were there feelings?

Why was she letting it annoy her?

"I better get going," Shisui said, frowning for a moment. "I need to find Sakura-chan, too. Your brother appears to have upset her again – or so Naruto-kun says."

Hesitancy. Hidden by the door, she noticed one of Itachi's hands clench. "Or so he says?" he repeated.

"Hn?"

"Why do you seem sceptical?"

"Naruto-kun made it seem like it happens often," stated Shisui, his face once more hidden from her view and it had Sakura looking away, his next words hurting more than she ever could have imagined. "If it was so bad, surely she'd leave?"

There was a pause in Itachi's response and she noticed the tension in his muscles. "For once, you are clueless, Shisui."

"Oh?" he questioned, sounding vaguely suspicious. "Why is that?"

_Don't tell him,_ Sakura begged with quickly escalating horror. _Please, please, please, Oh Gods, Itachi, please don't tell him._

What would she do if it got out there? If everyone suddenly found out about what had happened between her and Sasuke? Would they look at her differently? Would they assume she brought it on herself? Had she? She'd stripped for him in the car, after all. And her current outfit was hardly reserved, all but demanding all attention be on her.

_Had she asked for it?_

No, she was being ridiculous.

Nobody asked to be violated in such a way.

"It doesn't involve either of us," Itachi replied at length, unknowingly making her sag with relief, tears threatening to fill her eyes. "I only know of it due to witnessing it for myself."

Yet another pause. She wondered what expression was on Shisui's features. What was he thinking? It had to be something bad, because his next words were slow, somewhat uncertain, definitely wary. "Is it anything like…?"

Her hand came to her mouth, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

How many knew of Mikoto's suffering, yet remained silent about it? Speaking of it like it was taboo? Why did nobody try to help her?

"Escalating."

"Got it."

What did that mean? Got it? Got what? That Sasuke was becoming more and more like his father every day? That he bullied her and intimidated her? That he had to be pushed in the right direction on more than one occasion? That he hurt her? That it destroyed him internally knowing that he was hurting her? That he struggled to control himself? That he was a product of his environment? A victim following the only real example he had?

"Anyway, try not to take too long," Shisui then told him. "Naruto-kun says the DJ is setting up a karaoke – another reason why I need to find Sakura-chan urgently, apparently."

_That idiot_, she thought fondly, dabbing at her eyes to try and keep from ruining her makeup.

It seemed the words eased some of Itachi's tension too, for she could hear a smile in his voice. "He is a good friend."

Yes, he was.

"Maybe too good?"

_Don't make it weird,_ she inwardly snarled. There was nothing like that between her and Naruto – anything that seemed that way, was playful. Even Sasuke knew that. It was why he never gave Naruto a reaction. To do so would make him do it more, not less. Unless it emotionally hurt Sasuke, he would always do whatever possible to wind the Uchiha up.

"I doubt it."

A sound of amusement. "True. Sasuke-chan hates to share, right?"

The words made her stiffen.

"Try not to take too long, Itachi," warned Shisui. "Otherwise it won't only be Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan on the karaoke."

A pause. "Don't-"

"Stop me."

Was Itachi going to sing? All tension left her body and she bit her lip, smothering her building excitement. Gods, she hoped he was going to take part. Sasuke would rather die than sing in front of people – even in front of her. He hated it. Hated making a fool of himself.

"_Remember not to take too long," _Shisui warned teasingly, voice already distant.

Once the bedroom door shut, she left the closet, unable to describe the awkward tension when Itachi met her gaze. There was no specific emotion on his face, but that look was back. The torn look of so many different emotions.

Her biggest concern wasn't the guilt. Wasn't how she was going to face Sasuke. Startling her, Sakura realised her biggest concern was the want to continue kissing Itachi. To get lost in his embrace again. She was so aware of the bed to the left of her, swallowing when she found herself having to focus hard on _not_ looking in its direction. Nervously, no doubt awkwardly, she shifted from one foot to the other, averting her gaze.

How was she supposed to act normally around Itachi now? Now that she knew what it was like to kiss him? Now that she was hyperaware of him, her body aching to be in his arms again? Gods, she'd never felt such an intense need before and it made her insides clench rhythmically, made her breathing uneven. He wasn't unaffected either, Sakura noticed when she stole a glance at him. Unlike Sasuke, he didn't shy away from the emotions he was experiencing. He allowed her to witness them, to know what he was feeling.

What did she even say after a kiss like that? The classic and cliché line 'what have we done'? Did she mention how guilty she felt? How angry she felt towards herself? Did she mention that, despite how bad it made her feel, she wanted to kiss him again?

"I…" The words died on her tongue.

"There is no way to go back from this," he admitted, appearing reluctant to do so. "We cannot move on from this either, can we?"

The pain was back. Deeper than before, though. It felt like it went straight to her bones rather than targeting a single organ, a dull ache throughout her entire body, one that made her nauseous.

"I don't think we should be friends anymore," she told him, tongue feeling thick. "Not after this."

Reluctance. Maybe even pained reluctance, she thought to herself, frowning. "I agree. Going back to being friends at this point is impossible."

Too much had happened. There were too many complicated feelings involved.

A relationship was supposed to only be between two people, but…

Sakura kept her head down as she walked passed Itachi, unable to look at him as she reached for the handle.

Why was her heart telling her there was room for more?

* * *

"Sakura-chan?"

She paused in throwing away her leftovers, looking to Naruto with a minute frown. "What's up?"

Hesitancy showed in each of Naruto's movements as he approached her, coming to stand beside her with their backs to the rest of the party. The actions had her holding back a sigh. Did she have the energy to deal with Naruto's concern in that moment? Could she deal with conflict with anyone else? No, she couldn't, but Sakura knew she had to refrain from making a scene, no matter how annoyed she got.

A frown etched itself into his features, his voice seemingly unable to work and taking advantage of that, she asked, "Can we not talk about it? Just for now? Please?"

"He keeps doing it." The frown deepened. "He keeps hurting you."

Oh, if only Naruto knew. What he'd seen was nothing compared to the things Sasuke was capable of when he lost his temper. He'd seen petty jealousy and possessiveness. He'd heard sneers and harsh, offhanded comments. But he didn't know how badly she could be hurt. He didn't know how much she could withstand.

"Please, Naruto. Not here."

"Then where? When?" he demanded, frustrated. "When will we ever have five minutes just to talk? You're always glued to his side, Sakura-chan."

Was she? Sakura was certain she'd been spending minimal time with Sasuke since getting back together – they were starting to live separate lives.

It didn't upset her as much as it used to.

The party was growing livelier, with people beginning to dance to the music Naruto demanded be played, exclaiming that it was enough of the boring, snobby shit. It seemed he'd even gotten his own way with the karaoke too, as it was in the process of being set up. Fugaku didn't seem overly pleased and it was that single look of disgust that had Sakura ready and willing to sing again, like she was back in the bar.

There was a platform, though it certainly was no stage and trying to stage dive would be an impossible feat. She found herself vaguely disappointed.

Noticing a waiter heading by them, Sakura turned, smiling sweetly while taking a glass of champagne from his tray. As per his instructions set by Mikoto, he didn't linger, barely giving her the chance to thank him before he disappeared.

"Sakura-chan."

She groaned. "Look, Naruto. I said I don't want to talk about it here, okay? Just…" She struggled to find the right words. The ones that would get her point across without hurting her best friend. "Stop trying to force some kind of confession from me."

His frown was back. "Is this about the other night?" he questioned with obvious confusion. "I said I was sorry for that, Sakura-chan. I know I shouldn't have doubted you like that. It was just, y'know… Seeing you and Itachi like that was weird. You guys seemed to have weird tension."

It was hard not picturing their kiss, the feeling of bliss nearly outshined by the sadness of losing a friend.

Yes, they definitely had tension.

She stared down at her glass, taking a generous sip. "But?"

He grinned suddenly. "But I guess I read it all wrong. Y'know, since he brought a date."

Oh.

_Oh._

Why had it only just clicked? Gods, was _that _the reason why Itachi invited her? Had he heard the argument last week? Damn it, she should have known somebody would overhear – they were hardly being discreet, were they?

Discreetly, her eyes swept across the garden, but with everyone walking around, dancing and laughing and bumping into one another, it was difficult picking out specific people. And for some reason, she kept finding Fugaku out of everyone, unable to describe the deep disliking that continued to grow each time she spotted him.

When she finally found Itachi, Sakura couldn't control the pang of guilt and sadness that shot through her when she saw him talking with Sasuke, Kurotsuchi and Shisui, the latter almost as much of a spectator in the conversation as she was. His eyes were glued to Sasuke, watching him closely, ignoring Itachi's occasional warning glances.

Would the ache in her bones ever let up, Sakura wondered. What was it that caused her so much pain? Betraying Sasuke so badly? Destroying her friendship with Itachi?

"She's hot."

"Naruto," she snapped, grip tightening on her glass. "Don't be so rude."

There was a wicked grin, one that made her groan with annoyance, as she recognised it instantly as one his godfather, Jiraiya, often wore when he saw her.

"Naruto," growled Sakura warningly.

"Introduce me," he begged.

What? Was he stupid? "You've already been introduced," she said in clear disbelief. "That's the photographer from the photo shoot."

Blue eyes widened comically. "Kurotsuchi?"

Oh Gods, he was going to drive her insane. "Yes."

Disbelief made way for anger when he grabbed at her arm, nearly making her spill her drink over herself. If he ruined her dress, there would be hell to pay.

"Introduce me anyway," he begged again.

"You want me to introduce you to Itachi's date?"

"Yeah!"

"His _date?"_ Sakura stressed the word, hoping it would hit him.

It didn't. "Yeah!"

Hand coming to her face, she despaired. Not only because she didn't want to approach the supposed couple, but because Naruto wanted to steal Itachi's date. Oh, she knew from the look in his eye that he didn't want to be introduced as a potential friend – no, the expression was too perverted. He wanted, at the very least, Kurotsuchi to notice him as a man.

"She's older than you, you know."

"So?"

There was no way to put him off, was there? Not without character defamation. "Fine," she sighed. "Let's go."

As expected of Naruto, he escorted her all the way there, leading the way with her hand clasped tightly in his sweaty one. Knowing she would be unable to escape from the many years of being friends, she didn't fight him, pretending to approach everyone happily, _willingly_, smiling up at them all like she hadn't been devastated about Kurotsuchi being Itachi's date, like she hadn't been making out with him only an hour ago.

"Where have you been?" questioned Sasuke in a grumble, shooting an annoyed, sideways glare at Shisui.

She gestured towards the buffet tablet with a tip of her chin. "I was hungry."

It was awkward between them, she noticed when he said no more, merely nodding at her explanation. No doubt he'd been replaying her embarrassment in his head, trying to figure out what went wrong, how and why. Gods, she wished he would give her those answers, too.

"You look stunning, Sakura-chan," Shisui complimented with a smirk. "My cousin is a lucky boy."

Boy?

Oh, he was teasing him again.

"Does he flirt with everyone?" asked Kurotsuchi.

Had he already tried it on with her like he'd told Itachi he would? She would forever deny the pettiness swelling within her, the one that made her reply with a smirk, saying, "Always. I learned to stop feeling special for the attention."

Sasuke smirked at the jab.

"That's cruel, Sakura-chan," muttered Shisui playfully. With ease that no longer surprised her, he stole her from Naruto, ignoring his indignant yell, attempting to steal her back. Shisui merely spun her out of reach, causing her dress to rise ever so slightly. Discreetly, when lowering their hands, he allowed her to fix it. "You know you're very special to me."

As always, the words made her smile knowingly. "If only I was older, right?"

He smirked. "You're legal now, aren't you?"

Growling under his breath, Sasuke all but snatched her from him, uncaring of the way she almost stumbled in her heels, yanking her to his side. The arm around her waist was secure – no, it was more than that. It sent a clear message to those around them: she was his.

Apparently, Sasuke didn't notice the way Shisui looked at Itachi, but she did, and she willed the pair of them with her eyes to drop it.

The pleading look in her eyes dropped when Itachi met her gaze. Unsure how she was supposed to appear while conversing with him, she offered a small, friendly smile, her throat feeling tight as she reminded herself they were no longer friends. Did he feel the same way? Was that why he barely returned the smile?

"Relax, Sasuke-chan," said Shisui, only half-playful now. "I won't step in just yet."

That was a warning, Sakura instantly noted, breath catching and she felt the arm around her waist tighten, fingers digging in, silently demanding what the hell she'd been telling him. It was hard fighting instincts as they told her to shy away from what was causing her pain, but she had to if she didn't want to cause a scene.

When she saw a brief flash in Itachi's eyes, she had to look away, her head tilting in another direction, eyes desperate to find something that would act as an escape. For a few seconds, she debated seeking out Ino, having spotted the blonde already staring at them, her earlier frown in place the moment their eyes connected, but Sakura was quick to avert her gaze, deciding to go with a different escape. Preferably one that wouldn't end with her boyfriend being preyed upon by her supposed best friend.

_C'mon,_ she thought, frustrated. There had to be something at the party that–

"_The karaoke is now open," _the DJ informed them all. "_And first on the list is Naruto and his beloved Sakura-chan."_

She couldn't help but blush at the attention they gained.

"Stop calling her that," snapped Sasuke. "She's not yours."

"Sakura-chan," pushed Naruto, eyes pointedly looking over at Kurotsuchi.

Oh for the love of–

"Kurotsuchi-san, this is my friend, Naruto," Sakura introduced with a sigh, gesturing between them both. "Naruto, like I already told you, you've met Kurotsuchi-san before."

He pretended not to hear her, grinning at Kurotsuchi as he told her, "I know you're here with Itachi and all, but if you get bored, come find me. I'm experienced in–"

Horror had her lunging forward, attempting to slap a hand over his mouth to stop the blatant lie, cheeks furious with their blush, but with Sasuke's hand still firmly in place, she couldn't move too far, allowing Naruto to dodge effortlessly.

"–pleasing the women stuck with the Uchiha family."

The horror doubled when Kurotsuchi dissolved into fits of laughter. How the hell did she fall for such a lame pick up line?

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, grinning impishly. "For now, however," she the went on to saying, arm linking with Itachi's, other hand daringly settling on his chest, so very close to where her own had been tangled in the material only an hour ago. "I'm finding exploring Itachi extremely interesting."

_Breathe,_ Sakura warned herself. _He's not yours, anyway._

No, he wasn't. And that was why she felt so undeniably jealous.

"On _that_ note," Sakura spoke up, sparing her boyfriend a not-so-apologetic smile as she pulled away from him, "we'd better head to the DJ, Naruto."

He was on her in a heartbeat, arm coming around her waist, similar to the way Sasuke handled her. His voice deepened and he slowed his speech, ordering of her, "Fine. First, we're doing shots."

Sasuke's upper lip curled, his cheeks colouring with embarrassment. "Oi, idiot. I don't sound like that."

"Shut up, idiot," Naruto continued to mock, chin raising haughtily when he heard Shisui chuckling. "Sakura-chan and I shall be taking our leave now." The act dropped, the smirk that stretched across his lips making her heart stop out of a mixture of fear, disbelief and horror when Naruto said, "She's used to _small things_, so we're gonna go do shots."

Her jaw dropped.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

Shisui was lost to his laughter.

She noticed Itachi smirking, pretending to be interested in his glass.

"You-" he seethed.

They were already leaving, Naruto's laughter a complete opposite of the panic settling itself deep into her chest. Gods, she couldn't have been more thankful for the shots she took in a numbed blur, downing them gratefully, one after another, uncaring as to whether it was proper or not.

_Why the hell would he say that?_

Spluttering after the fifth shot, she fought back the urge to retch, instead looking to the waiting DJ and sighing. While there was a buzz, she wasn't drunk like she'd wanted to be.

If Naruto noticed the difference in her demeanour, he didn't say anything and instead basked in the happiness of having a friend willing to do shots and karaoke with him. Once more, he dragged her around, pulling her towards the DJ with a wild grin almost splitting his face apart. She could hear her parents – maybe Kushina, too – cheering behind them and she glanced over her shoulder, fighting back her grin at the intense disapproval on Fugaku's features.

Like hell she would _ever_ become a trophy wife. Or a Stepford Wife. Or any kind of freaking doormat!

Oh, were Karin and Ino bitching about her? Sakura narrowed her eyes on the pair as she stepped onto the platform, accepting the microphone that was handed to her. Moments later and she was returning Naruto's bright grin, though faltered at the music that began playing, recognising it instantly.

Was he trying to send a message too?

Whatever the hell Naruto was playing at, it had her smiling at him, grateful that he was doing his best to help her. How was he supposed to know how bad it truly was? She didn't open up to him about it anymore.

Knowing how the song started off, they were quick to jump into the angry voices, laughing as they sang together, "_I, I keep a record of the wreckage of my life._ _I gotta recognise the weapon in my mind! They talk shit, but I love it every time. And I realise…"_

Her eyes sought out Sasuke, knowing exactly how he would be reacting and as Sakura had predicted: he was in a state of shock. He immediately looked to his parents, paling at the anger being directed at her from Fugaku.

Naruto's soft voice was something that never failed to make her laugh, his expression one of intense concentration as he worked hard on his English. He was too loud to really hit the soft notes, but he seemed to have fun nonetheless. "_I've tasted blood and it is sweet. I've had the rug pulled beneath my feet."_

Only sparing a quick glance at the lyrics, she looked back to Naruto. He was watching her proudly, no doubt noticing that she wasn't half as fearful as she had been the first time they sang on karaoke. Was it the shots? Was it because she was finally growing tired of being pushed around? _"I've trusted lies and trusted men. Broke down and put myself back together again-"_

Was that her mother cheering in the crowd? Sakura's cheeks burned, but she couldn't help but grin.

"_Stared in the mirror and punched it to shatters, collected the pieces and picked out a dagger,"_ they sang together, her grin widening when he pretended to jab at her with his invisible knife. To get him back, for the next part, she aimed her fingers that were acting as scissors towards his groin area. _"I've pinched my skin in between my two fingers and wished I could cut some parts off with some scissors."_

"_C'mon little lady, give us a smile,"_ he sang to her directly, holding out his hand like he wanted her to take it.

She narrowed her eyes, playfully batting it away. _"No I ain't got nothing to smile about."_

The next part was the both of them, she noticed, looking to the crowd again. They'd certainly attracted the attention of others, their friends approaching the platform, watching with their phones in their hands, nudging each other.

"_I got no one to smile for, I waited a while for a moment to say."_ She sucked in a sharp breath, shouting just as loudly as Naruto, "_I don't owe you a goddamn thing!"_

When she next glanced in the direction of their parents, she saw her mother on her feet, accompanied by Kushina, the pair of them dancing along to the music. It saddened her to notice Mikoto standing off to the side, next to her silently fuming bastard of a husband.

_That would not be her future._

Refusing to let the anger show (and hoping it truly didn't), she sang by herself, trying to control the shaking of her hands. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea? What would the repercussions be? Would it go back to Mikoto? Gods, what had she done?

"Breathe, Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered to her when he'd pulled his microphone away. "It's just for fun."

No. It wasn't. She was trying to make a point. It was purely coincidental that Naruto had chosen the perfect song.

"_No, I won't smile, but I'll show you my teeth,"_ she half-sang, half-snapped. Gods, she was shaking and it had to be noticeable, because Ino's watchful eyes stole a glance at Fugaku when Sakura did, narrowing at the visible anger. _"And I'ma let you speak if you just let me breathe. I've been polite, but won't be caught dead lettin' a man tell me what I should do in my bed."_

Thankfully, Naruto took over, allowing her a breather as he spun on his heel, taking all attention from her by dancing manically. _"Keep my exes in check in my basement 'cause kindness is weakness, or worse, you're complacent. I could play nice or I could be a bully."_

Ino knew.

Oh, Gods. She knew. It was clear in the way she looked back to her, gaze questioning, worried.

"_I'm tired and angry, but somebody should be," _she sang, forcing herself back into the singing, forcing out the negativity as she allowed Naruto to join their hands, spinning her.

Only briefly did concern flash through his eyes when he felt the trembling of her hands, singing, "_C'mon little lady, give us a smile."_

"_No I ain't got nothing to smile about."_

"_I got no one to smile for, I waited a while for a moment to say-"_

It was therapeutic shouting into the microphone, Sakura realised, joining Naruto in bouncing around the platform. "_I don't owe you a goddamn thing!"_

"_I, I keep a record of the wreckage of my life," _they yelled together and she felt herself stiffen when Naruto spun her, hand coming to her ass with a loud _smack_, in time with the beat and loud enough for everyone to hear. It stung like hell, her cheek no doubt redder than her blush.

He sang the rest of the chorus by himself, wisely keeping his distance as he bounced to the other side of the stage.

"_Someone like me can be a real nightmare, completely aware," _she sang quietly, her tone making her idiotic best friend pale, sticking to the other side of the DJ booth.

"_But I'd rather be a real nightmare, than die unaware, yeah. Someone like me can be a real nightmare, completely aware."_

Looking away from him, she looked out of the crowd, hearing their laughter. Both at the situation and Naruto's fear.

And while she was fairly certain she imagined it, she could have sworn she noticed the narrowing of Itachi's eyes.

"_But I'm glad to be a real nightmare, so save me your prayers,_" she sang.

For the final chorus, she reined in her anger, instead dancing on the stage, allowing the music to take hold as the buzz steadily grew, allowing her a momentary freedom that she took complete advantage of. Naruto also took advantage of her maturity, approaching with an apologetic smile before dancing beside her, carefree and happy and everything she hoped she was being, too.

Briefly, throughout the crowd at the party, she spotted disapproval, she saw surprise, appreciation, lust, disbelief and anger. But none of that mattered, not when she saw the pride in his eyes when he caught onto what she was doing, on the message she was sending out from her outfit down to the real emotion she put into the song, his lips lifting at the corner.

Itachi's smirk had her own growing.

"_I'm no sweet dream, but I'm a hell of a night,"_ she half-whispered, half-sang.

Naruto was more dramatic, falling to his knees, acting like the singers in music videos as he grabbed at his hair, making his parents laugh freely when he muttered, _"That I'm no sweet dream, but I'm a hell of a night."_

* * *

"My little star," Kizashi sang, arm coming around her shoulders.

"It's only karaoke, Dad," she growled in warning, trying to shove him away. "Get off. You're embarrassing me."

Opposite them stood Sasuke's parents, along with Naruto's. They'd been hanging around each other for the duration of the party, which was no surprise considering they were the oldest guests there. Everyone else was either Itachi's age or younger – or so she believed. How old was Kisame? He seemed pretty old.

Pretending not to notice the dark waves of anger coming from the man, Sakura smiled up at Fugaku sweetly, undoubtedly feeling safe with her father's arm around her shoulders. If he wasn't there, would she so fearlessly look Fugaku in the eye? Probably not – no, definitely not, actually. Did that make her a daddy's girl? Feeling safe when he was around? Feeling like nothing and no-one could ever harm her, whether it be psychically, emotionally or mentally? Or did it simply make her naïve?

"Naruto," scolded Kushina, hand instantly finding his ear, yanking him down to her height. The other hand was on her hip, fisted tightly. "We saw what you did to poor Sakura-chan up there."

His cheeks raged. "Mom-"

"Don't mom me," she snapped warningly. "Your father and I raised you better than that."

"Kushina-san," Sakura tried to defend him, smiling sheepishly. "He was only playing around, he does it all the time-"

The words were clearly the wrong ones to use as Naruto paled considerably, blue eyes wide with betrayal and he flinched when she rounded on him, features dark and angry.

"No ramen for a week."

Minato grimaced from beside them, unable to meet his heartbroken son in the eye.

Sakura also despaired for him, Naruto's brows puckering.

"Anything but that, Mom-"

"Don't make it two weeks!"

"What's happening?"

_Stop it,_ she inwardly snapped at her stupid, stupid heart, which had squeezed with excitement at the sound of his voice. _You're not supposed to want him,_ she growled towards herself.

"This knucklehead objectifying his friend," snapped Kushina and like merely looking at her own son renewed her anger, she rounded on him again, easily pulling him into a headlock, despite Naruto being so much taller than her now. "You've been spending too much time with Jiraiya!"

"Obviously," he rasped. "He's my godfather."

_Idiot,_ Sakura thought with a shake of her head, watching as he goaded his mother.

Instead of coming to his defence as the two struggled, she looked around, frowning. "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

Her question had been directed more at Itachi than anyone else, but he seemed against answering it, surprising her for a moment until she realised he was probably the last person she should ask. After their kiss and the obvious emotions behind it, she suspected he would rather stay out of their relationship entirely now.

They weren't even friends anymore.

"Itachi?" Mikoto questioned. "You were just with Sasuke, were you not?"

"I believe his friends have taken him hostage, now that he is of age."

"What?" demanded Naruto, fighting with his mother to look up at them. His face was red, but his laughter had been obvious to them all, as had Kushina's, despite the fact she tried to remain firm. "Shots? Without me?"

"And your date?" questioned Fugaku. Could anyone else notice how foul his mood was?

Apparently, Itachi noticed. "She is enjoying the party, Father. Kurotsuchi-san is an independent woman – she does not need to hang off my arm."

Was that a dig at her?

No, Sakura realised. It was a dig at his father, regarding his controlling ways and how Mikoto only conversed with those who approached the couple.

It stung, regardless.

"What about you, Sakura?" Mebuki asked and she reached out, fixing the hair that her father had mercilessly messed up. She smiled, feeling the soft curls, her green eyes gentle. "Ino-chan came to say hello to us earlier, but I don't think I've seen you both together."

Oh, they'd spoken. But it seemed her best friend (or was she an ex-best friend again?) was in a bad mood – or still pissed with her. Like it really mattered. Honestly, Ino was the last thing on her mind and that realisation was confirmed when she fleetingly caught Itachi's eye. Fleetingly because he was the first to look away, his cold front impenetrable.

"I think Ino-chan is a bit busy, Mebuki," came her father's response, answering for her and he tipped his chin towards the platform. "Looks like she's singing next."

"Oh, dear," Mebuki gasped, hand coming to her mouth.

Growing up, she and Ino had – obviously – spent a lot of time together, meaning they were close with each other's parents. The kind of close where they called the other's mother 'aunt' and the other's father 'uncle'. It was due to such closeness that her parents knew so painfully well that her best friend could not hold a single note.

That wasn't what had her sighing, however. No, it was the state the blonde was in as she got on stage, winking her thanks to the DJ when the microphone was handed over. Why Sakura was surprised that Ino was almost completely wasted, she'd never know. What she _wasn't_ surprised about was the fact that Karin was encouraging Ino, letting her go on the stage and make a fool of herself.

"If you'll excuse me," Sakura said politely, offering a quick, forced smile, ignoring Itachi's sudden interest in her, his disbelief palpable. "I have a best friend to go and save from an epic breakdown."

It irked her when Itachi followed, seemingly uncaring of creating a scene as he reached out to her, forcing her to come a stop. They were far enough from their families that they wouldn't hear anything, though she was grateful for Ino's voice suddenly booming over the speakers just in case.

Clear annoyance showed in his frown as Itachi asked, "Why?"

Why? Maybe it was because, despite it all, Ino was still there. Throughout the duration of the party, she'd picked up on so much – stuff others missed, even while being so close to it all – and had immediately tried to talk with her about it, her concern obvious and _genuine._ Gods, what if she hadn't been mad about the blatant lie earlier? What if it was because she _knew_ it was something major, and was pissed that she wouldn't open up to her about it? That she felt the need to lie about it?

"We're friends-"

"How many times does a person have to hurt you for you to realise you're better off without them?"

She tugged her arm free, glaring up at him angrily. "You tell me."

It hadn't meant to come out that way, but she was glad it was out there. It needed to be said, because honestly, she was hurting. Deeply. And Itachi's preachy attitude and his never-ending lectures were really beginning to piss her the hell off.

"Say what you want about them," Sakura told him, lowering her voice, eyes narrowing. "But at least they're honest about it."

His frown returned. "Meaning?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she snapped without meaning to, quickly offering Shisui an apologetic second glance. "I really need to go and save Ino from further embarrassing herself. Your concern is touching, Itachi, but unnecessary. I can take care of myself."

"Can you?"

She bristled. "You-"

"C'mon, Sakura-chan," Shisui cajoled, linking their arms and guiding her away from Itachi. "Don't take it personally – he has a headache."

No, he didn't. He was an asshole.

"Thanks, but I really need-"

"Need to save you friend, I get it," he said, smiling. "I'm simply escorting you there."

"Escorting me?" she repeated with a laugh. "Do you think I'm accident prone?" His silence had her peering up at him with a frown. "Shisui?"

"_I've been here all night, I've been here all day!"_ she wailed into the microphone, hips dipping enticingly in time with the beat. "_And boy got me walkin' side to side!"_

They were at the stage now, Ino's caterwauling grating on her nerves, but only because she knew she would have a fight on her hands getting the blonde off stage. Really, Ino's voice wasn't half as bad as her parents had made it seem. No, she didn't have a good voice, but her energy on the makeshift stage had those in the crowd dancing with her instead of laughing. She didn't _try_ to be a good singer – she made fun of herself and laughed throughout the song.

Should she hold off on the intervention?

"Take care of yourself, Sakura-chan," he said seriously, taking her by surprise. Sparing a glance at the blonde on stage, he blushed somewhat, telling her, "Ah, it seems Ino-chan is gifting everyone with-"

She didn't wait around to hear the rest of the sentence, instead rushing the stage, following Kushina's example by manhandling her best friend off the stage. When Ino struggled, she threatened her with a headlock, ignoring the boos from the males in the crowd, uncaringly catching that luscious blonde hair between their bodies.

"What the hell are you playing at?" demanded Sakura shrilly once they were inside the house, horrified. Gods, her parents had been out there. Ino was like a second child to them. "Ino!"

But she seemed to sober up instantaneously when they entered the guest room that was really Sakura's bedroom, her blue eyes taking in the personal touches with a huff of something Sakura couldn't quite understand.

Turning, she settled her with a no nonsense expression, arms folding beneath her breasts.

"I think a heart-to-heart is long overdue, don't you, bestie?" she said bitingly.


	18. As It Tore Through Them

**Chapter 18**

**As It Tore Through Them**

* * *

The sarcastic way she addressed her was not lost on Sakura, her green eyes narrowing fractionally. "You pretended to be drunk."

"Do you really think a few shots will put me in that state?" demanded Ino with a look of annoyance. "What am I? Fifteen?"

But she'd started to strip. Had Shisui not brought it to her attention when he did, Ino would have been topless on the makeshift stage in front of everyone. Didn't she care? Didn't she care that her second parents would have seen everything? Or was that what Ino wanted? For everyone to see everything? To prove that she was her polar opposite?

Someone new was on the karaoke and Sakura did her best to tune the awful singing out (she had a feeling it was Kiba), though part of her rejoiced, knowing it would be pissing Fugaku off. Was she worried for Mikoto? Without a doubt. But, she had already insisted on staying overnight. That would give him time to cool off, wouldn't it?

An order to stay out of her things was ignored when Ino advanced on her dressing table, critically assessing the makeup she found there. Of course, none of it was the high branded stuff she used, as Sakura never really saw much point in it all. As long as the pigments were good, the wear time was decent and it was cruelty free, it didn't matter what brand it was.

Reaching out, she picked up a lipstick, blue eyes focusing hard on it before it was lowered once more. It had panic blooming in her chest before Sakura forced herself to calm down – she'd wiped the lipstick off Itachi's lips before he opened the door to Shisui. There was no chance there'd been any on him.

"Things seem pretty intense around here," said Ino offhandedly. The next thing to be judged by her was Sakura's charm bracelet from Sasuke, one he'd been adding to every so often. Or had he? Was it Mikoto who purchased all gifts that were supposedly from him? "Scary, even."

"Scary?"

Languidly, Ino's gaze trailed over to her, pinning Sakura. "You're scared." Just when she went to argue, she was interrupted firmly, her best friend saying, "You can't lie to me, Sakura. Even when we fall out, we're still family."

The words squeezed her heart.

It must have been obvious, because all pretences dropped and she turned, giving Sakura her full attention. The worry from earlier that day was back, though certainly more intense this time, accompanied by a faint fear. Or was it anxiety? "What happened, Sakura?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but annoyingly, the words wouldn't leave. It was like someone was choking her, refusing to let her share the horrific ordeal she'd been through, as well as the revelations. Gods, what did she do? Did she tell Ino? _Could_ she tell Ino? What would Sasuke do if he found out? Would he be angry with her? Would he feel betrayed? Hurt?

"Oi," Ino said worriedly and stepped forward, guiding Sakura backwards and to the bed when she began trembling. "You're freaking me out now, Sakura. What happened?"

"He…" Her hands couldn't be stilled and she restlessly tried to find something to grab, something to use to anchor herself. Breathing became difficult, the pathetic, shallow breaths making her head swim. "Gods, he… Ino. H-He…"

"Breathe," she ordered, sitting beside her. Their hands clasped together tightly, the sides of their heads bumping lightly. "Talk to me when you're ready."

Would she ever be ready? It was one thing admitting the truth to Itachi. But as time progressed and Sakura became so painfully aware of how bleak her future was beginning to look, she couldn't help but agonise over everything. One day, it wouldn't be _almost_, it could be something darker. Surely that was how it started out for Mikoto?

Would Sasuke ever cross that line, just as she crossed one herself?

Weakly, once she'd managed to calm herself somewhat, she managed to confess, "He forced himself on me."

Blue eyes went wide before a deep rage showed, twisting those beautiful features into a scowl and she pulled back, their gazes locking. "I've always thought Fugaku was a dirty-"

What? Fugaku? "N-Not him."

The rage switched with horror. And denial. And upset. "But…"

"Please," begged Sakura in an almost cry, trying to pull her hands free. "I can't hear how you think he'd never do something like that–"

"I would never say that–"

"Are you sure? Your face says something different."

Ino frowned somewhat, making it clear she was trying to compose herself. "Give me a break, Sakura. This is…" She took a long, deep breath and allowed her to pull her hands free. Her own came to the ends of her dress, focusing on straightening it out to lessen the risk of creases. "I don't even know what to think."

Well, Sakura supposed that was fair. Dumping something like that on somebody who'd idolised Sasuke for such a long time, expecting an immediate, well thought out response was asking for the impossible. However, the very least she'd hoped for was for the girl who was supposed to be her best friend to believe her without thinking twice about it, just as she had before, when she believed it to be Fugaku who forced himself on her. The doubt she'd seen was excruciating, like Ino was causing her physical pain.

"How…?"

"Did it happen?"

At her shaky nod, Sakura sighed, gaze averting to the door while she fought through the overwhelming fear of sharing the experience. The entire time, she felt Ino's intense blue eyes searching her features and she reached for her hand again when she stuttered through the feeling of Sasuke forcibly spreading her legs, giving himself access, pinning her to the sofa.

Compared to others' stories, Sakura knew hers was pitiful. After all, he never actually raped her. What did she have to be so afraid of? Why did she feel uncomfortable kissing him? He never went through with it. He stopped. He eventually stopped when her repeated no got through to him. She was no doubt overreacting.

But if that was the case, why couldn't she stop the shaking of her hands?

"You know what everyone will ask, right?" questioned Ino. "What's forcing you to stay?"

"Are you asking that?"

"No. I know you too well. I…" Another troubled frown. Another sigh. "I understand how you're feeling too well. I guess I would probably stick around, too."

"I don't know what to do," she whined helplessly, another round of tears beginning. How long had they been up there? It had to have been at least half an hour, if not longer. "I feel like all I do nowadays is cry. I can't even kiss him anymore, Ino. All I picture is the feeling of him…"

There was a deep breath. The down turning of her lips. Then, despite the obvious displeasure, she said to her, "We're going to fix your makeup and we're going to get back out there." When Sakura was about to argue, Ino interrupted her delicately, holding her gaze, saying, "And we're going to have fun, okay? No boys allowed."

Getting drunk wasn't going to help. How hadn't Ino realised that yet? Sure, it was fun, but not when it was being used to escape problems, not when said problems would still be there in the morning, seemingly worsened by the inevitable hangover.

"I can hardly avoid Sasuke-kun on his birthday," she muttered, using that as her excuse instead. To bring up her painfully obvious alcohol addiction was the fastest way to an argument. No, it was best to stay on Ino's good side when she'd had a drink, otherwise a fight would break out. It always did.

Ino sighed again, asking her, "What did he say after it happened? Has he tried to earn your forgiveness?"

"That's the worst part," Sakura said, whining again. She watched Ino as she made her way to the dresser, picking out the makeup that'd been used earlier that day. Alongside the makeup, she grabbed makeup wipes and her brushes. "He's been trying so hard to make up for it. We talk now and we're closer than ever, but it feels impossible to get over."

"It kills me to say this," she murmured and in that moment, Sakura could see the pain visibly on Ino's features as the girl sat beside her on the bed, legs crossing. "But don't give up on him, Sakura. I think if things were to end now, he'd go completely off the rails."

Not really what she wanted to hear (since it didn't really help her problem, only supported Sasuke), but the support _was_ appreciated massively. For Ino to finally support her relationship with Sasuke, to understand how important it was, meant so much to Sakura – no, it meant everything to her.

"He needs you," she added quietly, eyes drawn to the different shades of red eyeshadow, waiting as Sakura wiped her makeup off. "And maybe the intensity of his feelings scares him?"

Perhaps, but she found herself not wanting to listen to Ino's words. It would only add to the never-ending list of excuses her mind continuously came up with whenever he hurt her. How was she ever supposed to move on or grow from what had happened if she kept making excuses for him? What Sasuke had done was wrong – there was no excusing it. He'd told her that himself.

As always, Ino was gentle and careful while redoing Sakura's makeup, taking extra care when it came to reapplying the false eyelashes. It also didn't surprise her in the least that her makeup looked even better than what she'd managed to do with it, the eyeliner perfectly straight and the contouring highlighting all her best features.

"We'll arrange something soon, okay?" said Ino when they left the bedroom. "Just the two of us."

That sounded long overdue and exactly what she needed.

* * *

"Sakura."

Her flinch at the sound of his voice pissed her off, already making her irritable as Sakura turned to face Sasuke, frowning at his confusion.

"Why have you redone your makeup?"

He'd noticed that? Her frown deepened and she rubbed at her arm nervously. How was she supposed to tell him about her breakdown? That it was because of their relationship and how it was starting to weigh her down? That, earlier that day – _on his freaking birthday _– she'd been making out with his brother?

There was so much that she had to confess, so much that everything tried, all at once, to come out first, effectively rendering her silent, unable to voice a single confession.

"Were you upset?"

Only a foot of distance separated them now, stirring that inner conflict as Sakura felt both fear and longing. As much as she wanted him to hold her, she wanted him to leave her alone.

She tried to smile. "I'm fine now."

He frowned. "Why were you upset? You looked like you were having fun on stage."

It wasn't a jab, Sakura noticed, confusion swirling within her. She would have thought that he'd be beyond pissed – she'd made a spectacle of herself in front of his friends and family, but more importantly, in front of his father. Going to his party dressed the way she was, was one thing. To act the way she had on stage, cursing and dancing with another boy, was clearly the wrong thing to do. Fugaku had been livid.

"Did Father say something?" he asked, still trying to find out what was wrong. "You talked to him after, right?"

"Not really," she answered truthfully. "I just…" Sakura sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. I feel lost, kind of."

"We can go and talk, if you want," Sasuke offered. He spared a glance over his shoulder, rolling his eyes as Naruto returned to the stage, dragging Kurotsuchi along behind him. They were in good spirits, though there was no denying their blond best friend was bordering on being completely wasted. "Nobody will miss us while he's up there."

She rubbed the back of her neck, taking in the sight of the extravagant party. It'd be horrible to take him away from it when Mikoto had spent months planning it, but she knew Sasuke needed a break from it as much as she did. He was no doubt feeling overwhelmed with being the centre of attention. How many people were there? At the very least, there was a hundred in attendance. It was louder than she'd ever thought possible for an Uchiha party, filled with dancing and laughing, effectively bringing the otherwise museum-like atmosphere to life.

And all of that was too much for him.

So, she held out her hand, smiling when he took it without hesitation, allowing her to lead the way.

"I guess you can have your gift now," she said, teasingly. "But you can't be mad at me, okay?"

There was a very brief tensing of his muscles before Sasuke forced himself to relax. "It makes me anxious when you say things like that."

The honesty had her glancing over her shoulder in surprise, but she reined in the shock, remaining calm for him. Why would he want to open up to her when she overreacted every time he did?

"It involves your car," she admitted, holding her breath.

More tension, but he surprised her by saying, "Okay."

When they reached the front door, she came to a stop, frowning. Her gift was out in the driveway, hidden beneath a large cover that Mikoto had kindly found in the garage. It wasn't luxurious and plain black in colour, but it hid it from view, which was all she wanted, since he'd certainly be able to notice the differences straightaway.

"Okay? Did you hear me?" she asked, laughing nervously. "I took your car."

"You drove my car?"

There was no annoyance or upset, though and it had her frowning again. Where was her boyfriend and who the hell was standing before her? That car was his baby. He loved it to the point of turning down offers of newer cars. Hell, Fugaku had asked him if he wanted a Ferrari for his birthday and he said no. He was offered a Bentley and he turned it down. Why wasn't he freaking out about her messing with his car?

"Yeah," admitted Sakura, heart hammering away in her chest. She was too scared to tell him about who actually took the car, since she'd been terrified of driving it herself. "You were busy yesterday and didn't notice I took the keys."

"I noticed," he told her, smirking. "Mother told me it was being serviced when I questioned her."

She blushed. Of course he'd noticed his keys were gone. "Why aren't you mad?"

His smirk softened and Sasuke closed the distance between them, free hand coming up, gently touching one of her curls. "I know I can trust you, Sakura."

Green eyes narrowed, half out of suspicion and half playful. "You never let me drive."

"You only asked to drive it once," he corrected.

"And you said no."

"I only just got it," he told her like that was all the explanation he needed. When she continued to playfully glare, Sasuke smirked, adding, "I don't like sharing."

The words threatened to give him a reaction he would have no hopes in understanding, making her heart race, but Sakura quickly schooled her expression, instead smiling. "So I can drive it?"

"Are you insured to drive it?"

Always a loophole. "Is Itachi?"

"Yes."

That surprised her. "Why?"

Sasuke shrugged. "We're all insured to drive each other's cars. In case there's an emergency."

Well, that made sense, she guessed. "So you've driven his Bentley?"

He smirked again. "Do you really need to ask?"

"Then why don't you want one?" she questioned out of curiosity. "Fugaku-san said you could have one, too."

Another shrug. "I like my car."

Oh.

_Oh._

It was Sakura's turn to smirk, the teasing look in her eye not lost on him. "You don't like change."

"Hardly," he replied with a snort. "We've changed, haven't we?"

It wasn't a dig, but it hurt, nonetheless. The truth in his words stung her. "Yeah, I guess we have."

"I like my car," he then said, trying to lighten the tension. "That's all there is to it."

"You love that car," she argued with a chuckle. "It's okay to admit that."

"Why would I say I love a car when I haven't said it to y–"

"Sasuke?"

_Not now_, she mentally screamed at the asshole who interrupted them. Green eyes were undeniably furious as she looked over at one of their friends, Kiba. Like Naruto, he was quickly approaching the completely wasted category, but that didn't lessen her murderous anger at all.

He'd been about to confess to her. Either he was going to admit he loved her, or that he didn't.

Either way, their relationship had been ready to change.

And fucking Kiba interrupted him.

The brunet swayed slightly, grinning at them. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Yes," Sasuke told him simply. Was he just as annoyed as her? He'd been interrupted twice now. First when he was about to compliment her, and now. Of course, he was annoyed. He hated being interrupted. "You did."

"Sorry," he said, though didn't look apologetic in the least. "I need to take a leak."

"Use the downstairs bathroom," he muttered, indicating to the door to their left. "We're going now anyway."

That sobered him up slightly. "You're leaving your own party?"

"Hardly," he snorted and reached behind him, pressing down on the door handle. "I'll be back shortly."

"For more shots?"

Dark eyes rolled. "Sure."

"Hell–"

"Kiba?" she called out, eyebrow twitching.

"Yeah?"

"Go away."

"Aw, c'mon, Sakura–"

"Now," she snapped.

The sight of her anger had him scurrying to the bathroom and she turned on her heel, eyes imploring Sasuke to continue where he left off.

He didn't. She knew he wouldn't with Kiba so close. He'd be too embarrassed to show how he felt. "I like that you can scare people twice your size."

Knowing the moment was well and truly gone, Sakura sighed and tugged on his hand, reaching for the handle. "Are you ready for your present?"

Interest had him allowing her to open the door, following closely on her heels when they left the house entirely. It seemed to surprise him that she left the gift on the driveway, rather than in the privacy of the garage, but Sasuke didn't question her, instead staying where he was at her order, leaving her to approach the car by herself.

By the time she reached it, she was shaking.

It wasn't missed by him. "I trust you," he reminded her.

But there was definitely anxiety there, she noticed. Rightly so. No matter what he said, that car was his baby.

"Are you ready?"

"Just do it."

So she did.

And the silence she received worried her, forcing her to glance Sasuke's way through her eyelashes, gauging his reaction, wondering if she should run for the hills.

He seemed shocked. "You…"

Had changed the colour of his car. "This is the start."

"How could you…?"

"Afford it?" she questioned. Shakily, Sakura smiled. "Alongside saving for university, I've been saving for your eighteenth birthday for years, Sasuke-kun." A pause and she bit her lip. "This is the right shade, right?"

He nodded.

"Do you want to see the rest?"

Instead of having a plain black car, his was now a deep shade of blue, almost navy. The shade was listed as 'Balmoral Blue' and from the few times Sasuke had mentioned it, she'd made sure to write it down. He'd only been thinking of having the colour changed, not wanting to ask it of his father while turning down other cars. That man didn't see the point in upgrading a current car. He simply changed them altogether. She doubted he even knew how to change a tyre, whereas Sasuke wasn't afraid to get dirty fixing his up, learning whatever he could to keep it as long as possible.

"What else have you done?" he asked, approaching her when she held out a trembling hand, the other unlocking his car. She noticed his minute frown at the feeling of it.

So far, it was going well. He wasn't angry. Just shocked. "Well, I know you didn't like the ceiling being grey."

He stopped. "Sakura, this is…"

"Don't say it's too much." She smiled. "I've been saving a long time for this."

"What would you have done, had I decided to get a new car?"

Her smile widened. "You wouldn't."

"Am I that predictable?"

"You're one of the most unpredictable people I know."

Once more, he allowed her to pull him closer and she opened the door for him, watching closely as Sasuke leaned into the car, hand coming to rest on what was usually her seat. When he looked up, she noticed the surprised satisfaction that flitted through his eyes, telling her that yes, he liked it.

Another unsure smile.

"I didn't want to mess with anything I didn't understand, like the electrics and stuff," she admitted and she saw him nod gratefully, turning slightly to assess the dashboard. Then, he paused, hands momentarily stroking the seat. She smiled again, heart in her throat. "I had new covers fitted. No offence, but Naruto made your backseat smell funny."

"No amount of cleaning would get it out," he confessed, back of his neck burning.

She fidgeted restlessly, making another admission as she told him, "I lied about the electrics."

He froze. "Sakura…"

"I drove it to the garage it was bought from," she assured him, though it was partly a lie. Someone else had driven it, but that knowledge would worsen his anxiety considering who it had been. "They upgraded the speakers for you."

Pulling out of the car, he turned, frowning down at her. "You walked out of your job, Sakura. You could have used this money to live on, instead of having the stress of working alongside university."

Without a doubt. It would have covered her for at least six months too, but she'd purposely saved as much as she had, knowing what it would cost to get the changes Sasuke wanted for his car.

"Don't you like it?"

He sighed. "You know I do. It's everything I wanted to do."

She smiled, heart feeling lighter and she held out her hand, grateful when he took it. "There's one last surprise. Well, two, but one isn't for your birthday so you don't get to find out until later."

His eyes were glued to her heels as she began walking backwards, guiding him to the back of the car. It warmed her heart seeing his concern, but there was a different emotion entirely when their eyes met and she saw the genuine happiness there, his dark eyes seeming lighter, like the past few months – hell, the past year – had never happened.

"Close your eyes," she instructed.

He did so without hesitation, her heart skipping a beat in response.

She opened the boot, then turned him slightly so that while he would see what was in there, she would still be able to see his reaction.

"Do you remember how we felt under the stars at the cabin?" she asked quietly, taking his hand once more. "How free we felt? When there was no-one around telling us what to do or how we're supposed to feel?"

He swallowed, nodding.

"Open your eyes."

When he did, it wasn't the surprise that melted her heart. It wasn't the content. It wasn't the way he gently reached out, touching the picnic blankets, snacks and flask (that had yet to be filled with his favourite tea), breath leaving him shakily.

It was the way he turned to face her, eyes soft, lips pulling upwards at the corners.

It was the way he murmured, "I love you."

Damn it, it looked like she would have to redo her makeup a second time, Sakura thought to herself when tears quickly filled her eyes, not even giving her the chance to stop them when they spilled over and slid down her cheeks.

Hand finding the nape of his neck, she tugged him closer, their height almost perfectly level in her heels, allowing her to kiss him without strain on either part.

The kiss was perfect, reminding her of how she felt before, back when they were younger, when his kisses would make her giddy and ecstatic, leaving her a mess of goo and disorganised thoughts. And that was before his hand cupped her cheek tenderly, like she was the most delicate thing in his life, one that he had to protect and take extra care of.

Parting from the kiss, he smiled faintly, brushing his lips to her face, catching her tears, making her smile with him.

"Are you sure we can't leave the party now?" he asked.

It wasn't because his mind was filled with perverted thoughts. She'd noticed how stressed he was getting throughout his party, unable to cope with the constant attention and being pulled in every direction by his guests wishing to spend time with him. In his own words from that night at the theme park: he was used to coming second. The sudden shift in attention was too much for him.

"And break Mikoto-san's heart?" replied Sakura sadly. "We can't, Sasuke-kun."

"After what she's done–"

"She's still your mother," she interjected gently and reached up, stroking his cheek. "You know how scary your dad can be. She's had to deal with him… how long exactly? Twenty-five years, at least?" The fact had him glancing down at their feet, scowling. "She's exhausted. If giving into him grants her some peace? If she can rest easy for a day? Let her," Sakura said, going against her own speech earlier that day about making a statement. "Let her use me."

They had no idea how horrific the abuse was. Not even her sons knew the extent of the torture she was forced to live with.

How the hell could she have been so selfish?

"No."

She looked back to him, eyes wide as he met her gaze seriously. "N-No?"

"We're not my parents."

Hearing those words being repeated back to her had Sakura smiling sadly and she stepped even closer, embracing him.

"We're not your parents."

* * *

Well, Naruto was well and truly wasted.

"I cannot apologise enough, Mikoto-san," said Minato for the hundredth time. "Naruto is-"

"Always welcome here," was all she said, smiling politely.

After throwing up for the fourth time, Naruto had finally made it to a bathroom with the aid of Kisame, who'd settled him in front of the toilet before leaving. It wasn't until Yahiko went to check on him ten minutes later that they discovered he'd passed out at some point, snoring into the toilet.

At Mikoto's insistence, his parents began the gruelling process of taking him up to one of the spare bedrooms, which she'd repeatedly assured was pretty much his anyway. Sasuke was the one to lead the way, their fingertips lingering when he pulled away from her, unwilling to let go.

She smiled after them, shaking her head at the sound of Naruto retching once more.

"What a weakling."

The mutter of disapproval had Sakura biting back her grin. "That's what happens when you stop hanging out with us, Ino-Pig," she told her, giving her a haughty side-eyed glance. "We all lose our tolerances for alcohol, since there's no-one to keep up with."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm sticking around," she said, tone knowing, making the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stand on end. "It seems a lot of things need straightening out."

She quickly turned to face her, eyes pleading. "Please, don't get involved, Ino."

"Why?"

Gods, how much had Ino had to drink? Her stance was too defensive, telling her she was ready for a fight. "Because it's not necessary. We're okay–"

The disbelief showed even in her laugh. "No, you're not. You're far from okay."

"It's _my_ relationship," she said more firmly, glaring yet pleading all at the same time. Was she to be the one on the receiving end of Ino's alcohol induced rage? "He…"

A blonde eyebrow raised, pushing her, almost mocking. "He…?"

Sakura swallowed. She knew how much her next statement was going to hurt her best friend, but it needed to be said. She had to know how far they'd come. She couldn't let her jeopardise that. "He told me he loves me."

And there it was, for the entire party – for the world – to see. Ino's hurt, shining so brightly, making her sour mood falter, giving way for the heartbreak that had her chest quivering ever so slightly. Suddenly, she couldn't look her in the eye, gaze going to the side, but the tears were impossible to miss. It felt like they scorched Sakura's cheeks when they fell soundlessly down Ino's.

Only once had Sakura seen such open devastation on Ino's face and that was when her parents announced their divorce. The first thing she'd done was call Sakura, demanding her to come round. When she arrived, Ino had been screaming and shouting at her parents, cursing at them and damning them, but when they were alone, she'd crumbled. The weight of her anguish taking away all ability to breathe or think. All Ino could do was wail into her arms.

And now she'd just caused her second major heartbreak.

"He loves you," she whispered, smiling sardonically. It looked odd when mixed with her tears. "Of course he loves you."

Her stomach twisted. "Ino…"

"You're perfect Haruno Sakura," she snapped suddenly and Sakura flinched at the raising of her voice, quickly looking around them to find that yes, they had gained the attention of others. She noticed Kurotsuchi nudging Itachi, frowning in their direction and she bit her lip, unable to look him in the eye as he was proven right once again. "You're the one everyone loves to be around. The one who has everything fucking handed to her."

Her breath left her when she was shoved backwards, forced to catch herself when her heel threatened to give way under her.

How much had Ino had to drink? While she wasn't falling over herself or throwing up like Naruto had been, Sakura knew that it would be just as much. No, she would have drunk so much more than him, because her body was used to the abuse now. That didn't mean she didn't feel the buzz, though. It didn't mean she didn't get drunk.

_"While you were too busy focusing on Sasuke's ogling her, you failed to notice Ino-san's envy."_

Why was Itachi always right?

"You've got the perfect fucking family," she yelled, shoving her again. "You've got your scholarships." Another shove and Sakura was winded when her back connected with the wall. "You've got your little fucking modelling shit going on." Even though there was nowhere else for her to go, Ino continued shoving and Sakura noticed people making their way over to them hurriedly. "You've got the perfect fucking boyfriend, right? _Right?"_

No. They were entering dangerous territory.

Ino's smile was harsh. For the first time ever, she didn't look beautiful. She looked too angry. Too vicious.

"If only everyone knew what he was really–"

"Stop–" someone started to demand.

When she moved to push her again, Sakura batted her hand away, not even trying to hold herself back from hurting her friend. Why should she? There was nothing holding Ino back, was there?

"Stop it," she demanded, keeping her voice low. Not that there was really any point when the DJ stopped the music, wanting to hear the altercation.

Everyone was watching them, Sakura noticed, but only a handful had come to try and separate them – Itachi being one of them, she noted, but wasn't surprised. Shisui wasn't far behind him, followed closely by Karin.

"_How many times does a person have to hurt you for you to realise you're better off without them?"_

Too many.

Something serious must have been wrong with her, because even in that moment, being humiliated and assaulted, Sakura couldn't stop thinking about Ino's heartbreak. She couldn't stop thinking that it was just the alcohol talking.

"Why?" slurred Ino angrily, those tears never ceasing for a moment. "If he loved you so fucking much, why would he–"

Was it her love for Sasuke that had her lashing out? Was it her need to protect him? Was it her own fear of others finding out about what he did? Of being branded?

Whatever it was, it had her slapping Ino, making the other guests gasp in shock, looking amongst themselves in disbelief, but she paid them no mind, just like she refused to acknowledge her parents standing, apparently only just realising their daughter was involved in a fight.

Weakly, Ino raised a shaking hand to her reddening cheek.

Sakura swallowed, pretending not to notice the stunned men and Karin behind the blonde.

And then Ino was launching herself at her and Sakura winced as her head hit the wall, her hands instantly trying to push her away, to go to her head to check to see if she was bleeding. There was no dizziness, but the sudden yanking of her shoulders when Ino tried to throw her to ground, almost succeeding due to the high heels, certainly threatened to make her dizzy.

Even when Shisui tried to get a hold of her, Ino struggled, kicking out at her and Sakura was only partially ashamed to admit that she hit back, swinging for her.

Itachi's arm came around her chest, pinning her momentarily to his body. "Stop it, Sakura."

"Yeah, fucking _stop it_, Sakura," Ino screeched. "Stop lying to everyone!"

"Shut up," she screamed just as loudly, ignoring her mother's demand for them both to calm down. She hadn't even noticed her parents approaching. "You don't know anything–"

"I know enough!"

"No you don't!"

"Ino, stop," Karin pleaded, coming to stand in front of her, only for Kizashi to pull her out of the way when Ino kicked out again.

"Ino–" her father snapped.

The spit that flew through the air had Sakura lunging again, sickened as she felt it trickling down her neck, stopping on Itachi's arm. In the brief flinch of disgust on his behalf, she attacked, throwing herself (and him) into Ino and Shisui.

It was the typical girl fight, though in her mind, it was much more serious than that as she clawed and pulled at the blonde, yelling angrily when her hair was pulled harshly. Only when a strap on her dress was snapped did she get more serious, fists flying blindly, satisfying her when it struck Ino. It wasn't where she was targeting, but the fact she landed a hit pleased her. Managing to hurt her back pleased her.

"Bitch–"

"Stop," her mother begged.

The arm around her grew more restraining and her world spun when Itachi did, pinning her to the wall with his body. His body heat, the pressure, would have had her blushing if it weren't for the fact she was already red with anger. It did, however, extinguish the fight in her somewhat, his calming words soothing her.

"You're better than this," he murmured lowly in her ear. "Don't let her drag you down with her."

"C'mon," Shisui grunted, manhandling a seething, screaming Ino out of the garden. Karin followed closely, head hanging in shame, cheeks on fire with her blush. "I think it's time you went home."

"Sakura, how could you embarrass yourself like this?" her mother demanded, hand on her chest. "We're–"

"Perhaps now is not the time to scold her," Itachi interjected smoothly, not even sparing them a glance over his shoulder. Then, more quietly so that only she would hear, he warned, "Hold your dress. I'm releasing you now."

It was a good thing he'd warned her, Sakura realised with immense mortification. He'd literally been the only thing covering her breast.

She couldn't even look him in the eye as she stomped back into the home, tears filling her eyes as she rushed passed Sasuke, trying to ignore his calling after her, confused. Naruto's parents weren't far behind them and she heard Kushina telling him to go after her.

Gods, she wished she hadn't, but at the same time, she was so grateful for his comfort, especially when they entered her room and he saw the state she was in, his dark eyes wide with shock and rage before he was pulling her to him, his embrace secure and comforting.

"What happened?" he asked when she choked back a sob.

"I-Ino. She…" She needed to get a hold of herself, but damn it, she was so hurt. Her head was banging, her new dress was torn, her scalp _ached_ and back felt stiff, telling her that it was possibly grazed (no doubt from the wall). Above all of that, however, was the cruel sting of betrayal that continuously jabbed at her heart, each hit connecting mercilessly. How could Ino attack her like that? How could she use what she'd told her in confidence against her? "I thought I could… could confide in her a-and-"

"What the hell is her problem?" he snarled, but not once did he let go of her.

It was Sakura who pulled away, stumbling back onto the bed, the strap of her dress clasped tightly in her hand, keeping herself covered. "Sh-She loves you," she whispered brokenly.

Sasuke took a moment to look around her room, pausing in his response until he spotted her robe, tugging it over her shoulders and allowing Sakura to release her dress once she was certain her breast would still be covered.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Sasuke, frowning when he took a step back to look at her. "Do you want me to avoid her?"

Avoid her? "Are you even friends when we don't hang out as a group?"

He thought about that. "She tried to come over a few times, but you were always here."

Yes, Sakura remembered all those times. She was sure Fugaku did, too. "When I'm not here?"

"Not that I can recall."

She ran a hand through her hair, wincing at the ache she felt from the slight pressure on the back of her head.

It had Sasuke scowling. "Did you hurt your head?"

She nodded. "She pushed me into the wall."

"Do you feel dizzy or sick?" he questioned, seeming worried. He approached the bed carefully, making her heart ache as she realised he was worried about scaring her, before gingerly manoeuvring her head, searching the back of it. "There's a lump."

Yeah, having her head smashed into a wall would do that. "No, I don't – feel sick or dizzy, I mean."

Disbelief had him pulling back, looking down on her. "She attacked you like this because–"

"Because I stupidly thought she'd be happy for us," answered Sakura, lips turning downwards. There was a muttered curse that she missed, sounding like a growl, but she didn't care to ask him to repeat himself. "She started screaming about how perfect everything is for us," she said, voice bordering on whiny as she fought back her need to cry. "And then she just started pushing me and I lost my temper and hit back and–"

"I should have been there," he muttered.

No, she was glad he wasn't. She didn't want to know how he'd feel knowing she told Ino about what happened.

Gods, what would she do if Ino told anyone? Sasuke would hate her, wouldn't he?

Before he could say anything else, she whined, "What about my dress? What am I supposed to do now?"

"We could always leave," he suggested. "I think the party will be ending soon anyway."

She wanted nothing more than to leave the party, she truly did. But they couldn't do that after Mikoto's hard work, could they?

Reluctantly, she shook her head, gaze drifting to the window. The party was still in full swing, quickly forgetting about the fight as they resumed the festivities. Soon enough, they would start looking for the birthday boy, wanting to include him once more.

"Can you turn around a second? I need to check my dress to see if it can be fixed."

Wordlessly, he turned, but quickly moved towards the window when he found he'd still be able to see her in the mirror, the act making her smile faintly.

Sasuke certainly wasn't all bad. At times, he was the sweetest guy she knew. At times, he was a total nightmare. But weren't they all? Sakura was not afraid to admit that she was just as bad as he could be. Hell, she had mood swings that gave Sasuke whiplash at the best of times and they were definitely more frequent than his.

She looked to her dress, feeling out the strap to see if it would be possible to fix it. It had hardly even put a dent in her bank and it showed in the flimsy straps, telling her that it wasn't salvageable. To try would only make it an eyesore.

What was she supposed to do? She–

What was that?

Frowning, Sakura flipped the fabric that had fallen from her breast, eyes widening a fraction. There was no malice in her calling herself an idiot, her smile indicating that all was well – no, better than well, she told Sasuke when he asked what was happening.

Going to the other side of the dress, Sakura grinned before saying aloud to her boyfriend, "It's salvageable after all."

They were uncomfortably flimsy, but it would definitely hold out for the rest of the party. After warning her boyfriend not to turn around, she stood and shuffled the dress down to her waist, not bothering to check on him since she knew he would never betray her trust in such a way. Then, while biting her lip to hold back her glee, she popped the hidden clasp on the back of the dress, changing the intact left shoulder strap to a halter neck, taking only a moment to adjust the length of it so that she would be comfortable.

How the hell hadn't she noticed that before? As flimsy as the little brass clasps were, they weren't invisible. Had she known the dress had multiway straps, she would have tried out all the different styles of it.

But that hardly mattered, anyway. She had to redo her hair and makeup!

"You can go back to the party if you want," she told Sasuke once she decided it was safe for him to turn around. "This could take a while."

He shook his head, coming to sit beside her on the bed. "I'll wait for you."

"You don't–"

"It won't be easy going back out there after your fight," he told her simply, his dark eyes curious as she began reapplying the eyeshadow for the third time that day. It wouldn't look as good as when Ino had done it, but it would do. "You'll have to face my parents."

It would be best dealing with them straightaway, Sakura thought, mentally agreeing with her boyfriend. "How bad do you think it'll be?"

He sighed, making her heart sink.

* * *

There'd been no point in rushing. Fugaku hadn't wanted to stand within shouting distance of her, let alone talk to her. He'd stated, in a single, clipped sentence, that they would discuss the incident after the party.

Mikoto hadn't even looked at her.

Her parents were disappointed, although Sakura wasn't too sure who they were upset with the most. Their daughter, who had allowed her anger to get the best of her and lashed out at her oldest, closest friend, who was clearly fragile. Or the girl they thought of as one of their own becoming so inexcusably angry, wasted, attacking the person who was like her sister.

Who was worse? Her, knowing how vulnerable Ino truly was, knowing how hurt she would be, yet still choosing to tell her Sasuke was in love with her, or Ino for reacting the way she had? It didn't seem to matter. She still received unwanted attention either way, so she supposed they were as bad as each other.

"A lot of people seem to have it out for you," noted Kurotsuchi when they reluctantly continued Sasuke's rounds of the guests. As she had been for the majority of the party, she hung off Itachi's arm, though seemed worse for wear now as the night dragged on, the amount of alcohol consumed showing on her flushed features and lidded eyes. "I feel like I'm gonna be questioned at some point – like there's gonna be a huge who dunnit scandal."

"Great," Sakura replied with vague surprise and disbelief, cutting Itachi off from whatever the hell he'd had to say in response to that. "I'll make sure to leave clues of some kind behind for you."

Apparently not catching onto her sarcasm, she grinned. "That'd be spectacular."

"What're you doing after this?" Sasuke asked, though it was obvious he couldn't have cared less if he tried.

"Well," Kurotsuchi purred, leaning closer to Itachi, fingertips trailing up his chest. "We were planning–"

Did she really want to hear their plans?

"–on going to a few clubs," she continued softly.

She met Itachi's eye, unsure as to whether he could see the emotional conflict going on within her. Could he tell her words were killing her on the inside? Knowing that she would be in his arms just as she'd been earlier that day? Would he kiss her like he had her? Like she was the only person who mattered to him? Like nothing else mattered? Like she was so safe and loved and _wanted?_

From the way he'd kissed her, Sakura believed it was safe to assume that Itachi was not a virgin. No, he'd known exactly what to do, especially when it came to grinding–

She had to shut the thoughts down and not because it would show on her cheeks.

"Then we'll probably head back to my place–"

Itachi's mouth opened, ready to interject.

Sasuke beat him to it. "The epitome of class."

It was clear in the minute frown that Itachi did not appreciate the uncalled for jab, even though Kurotsuchi laughed at it.

"Life's too short to be waiting years to have sex."

Green eyes widened, her breath leaving her like Ino had shoved her into the wall all over again.

Sasuke was the one to voice their betrayal, scowling, snapping, "You told her–"

"I didn't," Itachi assured them, equally stunned. He looked to the woman continuing her ministrations, frown more obvious now. "How did you find out?"

She snorted, then giggled to herself. Not once did her fingers stop drawing dainty patterns. "There's so much tension around here, so it's obvious someone's not getting laid."

"How–"

"Like it matters," snapped Sakura, feeling humiliated for the hundredth time that day. "What matters is that people know, Sasuke-kun."

"Why does that matter?" asked Itachi. "People knowing?"

Why the hell did he have to get involved? Why was he asking her questions regarding her sex life with his brother? Gods, she needed to get out of there.

"Because it has nothing to do with anyone else what we do–"

"Or don't do," Kurotsuchi added with a grin.

She was losing her temper. She could feel it in the reddening of her cheeks, in the shaking of her hands, the ticking of her eyebrow.

"Some men prefer women who aren't easy," Sasuke threw in nastily. Had it not been for his own humiliation and anger, would he have used that cruel smirk of his, Sakura wondered. Instead, he was straight faced. Somehow, that was worse. "Saves a trip to the clinic the next day."

Was Kurotsuchi even aware of how she was coming across? Sakura doubted it. She doubted the woman even understood how big an issue it was for them. But, in that moment, filled with so many different, conflicting emotions, after the day from hell, she found herself lacking sympathy. No, her pride had been harshly abused all day long and she was tired of it.

Gods, where was Naruto when she needed him?

Oh, right. Passed out.

"C'mon, Sasuke-kun," Sakura tried while coming to stand in front of him, features pleading when her back was to the others. "She's drunk–"

"So was Ino," he argued with her, scowling.

A nerve had well and truly been struck for him, it seemed. "That was a lot different." It'd been building for years.

Instead of arguing further with her, he breathed in deeply when her hands came to his chest, one soon moving further and tilting his head downwards, forcing him to look her in the eye.

Then, he released that deep breath and nodded, gaze averting.

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Kurotsuchi, her cheerfulness dropping.

She decided not to answer, especially not when she noticed his parents watching them closely, probably knowing it was a confrontation of some sorts.

Instead, she smiled up at her boyfriend, taking a step forward, coaxing him into walking backwards. "C'mon," she said quietly. "It's not worth losing your temper over, right?"

"It's bullshit," he muttered and turned, hand finding hers effortlessly. "It's an issue if you sleep with someone and an issue if you don't."

A bit hypocritical of him to say, given the fact that he'd been calling her out on wanting to sleep with Itachi on the first date.

Frowning, she stole a glance over her shoulder at the couple, heart giving a painful squeeze when she saw Kurotsuchi standing in front of him, hands daringly low on his stomach.

But while she was preoccupied with whatever the hell she was doing in the middle of the party, Sakura found his attention glued to her, his dark eyes apologetic.

Would he sleep with her?

Kurotsuchi was an undeniably beautiful woman with legs that went on for miles. Itachi was a single man. There were no commitments that he had to uphold. No woman waiting for him. If he wanted to, he was well within his right to go home with Kurotsuchi.

Would it be a problem if he did?

Did she really have the right to be upset?


	19. Our Love Is Six Feet Under

**Chapter 19**

**Our Love Is Six Feet Under**

* * *

"She's hurting."

The voice startled her momentarily, since Sakura hadn't spotted him throughout the many hours the party had been going. Even when making the rounds with Sasuke, greeting his guests and conversing with them, she'd failed to notice him. But then again, he'd always been the kind of guy who blended in, hadn't he? He wanted an easy life, therefore kept to himself.

Knowing who he was on about, she turned in her stool once more, facing the bar. "She's an addict, Shikamaru," she responded blandly.

"Doesn't mean she's not hurting."

She sighed at that, taking a sip of her champagne before grimacing, setting it aside. Enjoying alcohol was impossible when her best friend was addicted to the stuff.

It was odd thinking of Ino in such a way. Up until that evening, the word 'addict' had always been just that to her: a word. Sure, it had a meaning, but it was lost to her, as she didn't truly understand the devastation it caused. Like the word 'literally', people overused and misused it repeatedly, making it redundant.

"She's never gone into you like that before, has she?" he questioned, those dull brown eyes assessing her closely. At the faint dimples that showed in her chin, he sighed, sitting beside her after grabbing himself a stool. "But you've had fights, right?"

Never to that extent. Of course over the years they'd disagreed – even gave the other's hair a sharp tug when they were feeling particularly vicious. But never in their fifteen years of friendship had she and Ino gone at it like that. Even when lost to alcohol, she and Ino had always been okay. It'd always been someone else in the line of fire. Always someone else who was attacked or screamed at. The worst Sakura had ever received was Ino droning on and on about how difficult her life was, how she'd fucked up and wasn't going anywhere – things like that. There was no deflecting the conversation or diverting her attention. Somehow, everything linked back to the struggles in her life.

"Has she ever gone after you like that?"

Shikamaru snorted. "It's not a night out if she doesn't."

Their friendship went just as far back as hers with Ino (and Choji, wherever he was). With their families being as close as they were, they'd always been together from the day they were born, the three of them inseparable until Sakura came along, allowing Shikamaru and Choji to participate in more boyish activities, since Ino had disliked getting dirty even as a child.

"Then why do you still go out with her?" Sakura questioned, frowning. "Knowing at some point she's going to lose it?"

He shrugged at that, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "That's what friends do. She's struggling, so the last thing she needs is for her friends to ditch her."

That was a dig at her, Sakura knew it was. Was it uncalled for? Not entirely, no. She knew she deserved it. It wasn't long after her parents' divorce that she started dating Sasuke. Instead of being there for her friend, she divided her time between them, wanting to be with her new boyfriend all the time. That didn't mean she ditched her completely, though. Like Sakura said: she divided her time.

"We need to do something."

Ah, there was Choji. Sakura glanced up as he sat on Shikamaru's other side, his hands full with two plates that were both piled high with food. How he could still be hungry after making repeated trips to the buffet tables and food stalls, coming away with mountains of food, was unknown to her. Sakura felt full just looking at it.

"Like what?" she demanded with a roll of her eyes. "Rehabs are voluntary. She can just walk out of the institution if she doesn't want to be there." Sighing at their disbelieving stares, she muttered, "You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. If she's going to overcome her addiction, she needs to want it. You can't force her into it."

"And when she gets sick?" Shikamaru questioned lowly with a scowl. "When it inevitably kills her? Because let's face it: we're all thinking it. We've all pictured her body being found on the side of some road–"

"Shikamaru," Choji complained, glaring down at his food sadly.

"But it's true," he snapped, not even sparing him a glance. "She's making herself vulnerable when she gets into that state. She has no idea what's going on around her. And _you_ just want to abandon her."

It was close to impossible keeping her cool as she glared over at the pair of them, heart aching at the accusing stares because _damn it_ she'd done all she could for Ino. She was there, despite how horrific she could be. Despite the fact she continuously hit on Sasuke, throwing herself at him, making her feel so insignificant and unimportant in her own damn relationship.

"And where was she when I need–"

"This is more than boy drama," argued Choji with a frown. "She could really die."

"What do you want me to do?" Sakura finally exploded, though quickly lowered her voice considerably when the bartender looked to them, startled. "Do you want me to go and kidnap her? Lock her away somewhere and force her to go cold turkey?" When they merely stared at her, unconcerned with the mocking tone she'd used, her eyes widened. "I'm _not_ kidnapping Ino!"

"We could–"

"We could _nothing_," she snapped, worriedly looking over her shoulder to make sure nobody could hear their conversation.

With the party dying down as the darkness crept into the sky, blanketing them, people steadily grew calmer. While some continued to party hard in terms of drinking and being obnoxiously loud, others were more reserved, insisting the DJ play slower music for them to relax to. With the life of the party continuing to be out cold in one of the guest rooms, the others had no chance of winning. Only Naruto's persistence would have kept the party thriving. After all, Sasuke was itching for it to end already.

"But–" Choji tried, pausing when he got lost in his head, no doubt picturing the scene Shikamaru had described. "We have to do _something_."

She wasn't uncaring. Sakura loved Ino dearly – she was her sister. Even after their fight, her heart longed to reach out to her, for Sakura to pick up the phone and call her at the very least. Did that make her weak?

"Let's say we go along with that idea," sneered Sakura, heart hammering as she envisioned how it would go down, as she immediately predicted the terror Ino would go through. "We'll bundle a vulnerable drunk into one of our cars," she began and ignored Shikamaru's glare. "Lock her away somewhere secret – she can't know where, just in case she gets hold of a phone. Then, we'll make her go cold turkey." Shrugging, Sakura added, "Sure, she'll get angry and nasty, but we can handle that, right?"

Choji's smile and nod of agreement faltered when Shikamaru glared at him.

"But what about when she gets sick?" she questioned. Her scowl was matched by Shikamaru's, her palms sweating. "What about when her parents inevitably call the police and report her as a missing person?"

Gods, they had no idea what they were even suggesting, did they? To lock Ino away was a bad idea. It had disaster written all over it. Damn it, Shikamaru was supposed to be a genius. Why the hell couldn't he see how badly things could go?

"Worst case scenario, she goes through withdrawal," said Choji, frowning.

"No, that'll happen in every scenario," Shikamaru muttered.

"And we have no idea how badly she craves alcohol now," she added. "It's gonna hurt her."

"We have to do something–"

"And what about when the police are involved?" she demanded angrily. Like hell she was getting mixed up in that shit. She had scholarships that would disappear with a click of her fingers if she had a criminal record. "What about when she gets really sick and we don't know what the hell to do because we're in way over our heads?"

"Well, that would depend on who you know."

She flinched at his voice, glancing over her shoulder without turning in her stool. "Shisui–"

"Now, now, Sakura-chan," he said teasingly, coming to sit on her left. He tugged his stool a little closer than necessary, smirking at her. "You should know by now that I love it when you look at me like that."

There was no stopping her blush and she quickly looked away, gritting her teeth. Had the situation not been so serious, she would have responded with some kind of witty remark. But her heart was beating fast, palms sweaty. She was terrified for Ino's well-being.

"What did you mean by that?" asked Shikamaru suspiciously. "That it depends on who we know?"

He sat back ever so slightly, almost looking down his nose at them all, his aura boasting that renowned Uchiha arrogance. It basically screamed _don't you know who I am?_

"He's a police officer," she informed them.

Sensing their curiosity being piqued, along with their silent questions, Shisui said, "I see many cases that start out as innocently as Ino-chan's and she's headed down a dark path. Soon enough, alcohol won't give her the buzz she craves and she'll move onto harder stuff."

Thinking of her best friend taking drugs had Sakura looking away from them all, her gaze drawn to the bar before her.

"And it'll only get worse from there," Shisui informed them, tone and expression grim. If it hadn't already, then the gravity of the situation, the disgusting, harsh reality, would have weighed down on them, suffocating them. "I'm assuming her parents wouldn't fund these kinds of habits?" He didn't wait for a response, despite it being spoken as a question. "She'll resort to theft, perhaps even prostitution to fund her habits. I see it all the time."

Shikamaru was quieter than before, the harshness of his features softening, leaving him appearing helpless. It was such an odd expression on him. "What do you suggest we do?"

"You need professionals on hand," he told them seriously. "And I just so happen to know a lovely little doctor who'd be more than happy to help." At her frown, he asked her, "Do you remember our cousin, Obito?"

_Our_ cousin. Why did that make her stomach flip? Was it uncomfortably or excitement at being considered an Uchiha? "Vaguely," she responded. "He was at Mikoto-san's dinner party last year, I think. You introduced us."

Shisui nodded and stretched, signalling to the bartender and requesting a drink. It seemed almost comical him having a drink while discussing someone's addiction to the stuff, the irony not lost on them as he sipped away.

"Obito is married to a doctor called Rin-san–"

"No offence, but we're hardly going to leave Ino locked away with strangers."

Gods, they were being ridiculous. As though they weren't serious enough already, Shisui had to get involved, making it even more possible for them to _kidnap_ an eighteen-year-old girl. How could they be so blasé about it all?

Hands planting on the bar, Sakura stood up, glowering at them all. "I'm not getting involved in this," she declared firmly. "I can't believe we're sitting here discussing _kidnapping_ Ino."

Choji's gaze averted.

Shikamaru glared.

Shisui sighed.

"What makes you so sure this isn't going to exacerbate the whole situation? How hell do you know this won't set her even further back? That it won't–"

"Itachi," greeted Shisui cheerily suddenly.

Suspicion shone in his eyes, as did uncertainty and Sakura wondered if the others were able to read his emotions as easily as she could. It seemed Shisui could, but he dismissed the questions directed at them, continuing to sip his drink. Or perhaps he was dismissed because, as she turned fully, Sakura discovered Itachi was standing directly behind her, letting them all know that he was there to see her, not any of them?

Then, stunning them all, he held out his hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

Her heart stopped. She felt her breathing catch. What the hell did he think he was doing?

"Sasuke is currently dancing with our mother, but wishes to end said dance without upsetting her."

…Oh.

He was using her as a means to an end.

"Go, Sakura-chan," Shisui encouraged, already standing to move her stool out of the way, ushering her gently with a hand to her lower back. "Although, may I suggest something?"

She looked up at him, frowning. "What is it?"

"Leave him stewing for a few songs," he said with a wink. "Always stay in sight, but not close enough for him to reach you without making it obvious."

There was no stopping her laughter, as reluctant as it was. He'd always enjoyed mercilessly teasing his younger cousin. She shouldn't have expected anything less from him in that moment.

The laughter was short lived upon noticing Itachi's hand still waiting for hers and it was hesitantly that she took it, unable to look him in the eye as he guided her out onto the dancefloor, effortlessly intermingling into the crowd of couples.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sasuke dancing with his mother, spinning her around the dancefloor, her wide smile impossible to miss. It warmed her heart seeing such enjoyment on both their faces, the sight so unfairly rare. Sakura honestly couldn't think of two people who deserved happiness more.

Refraining from sighing or showing her sadness, she glanced upwards, admiring the warm white lights glittering above them. They were attached from one spot to another, from the extravagant marquee to the DJ booth, from the food stalls to random pillars erected around the garden, the fairy lights twinkling against the darkening sky, undeniably creating a more romantic atmosphere (and she couldn't decide whether she appreciated it or not in that moment). Had she still been buzzed, they would have looked like stars.

"Is this really okay?" she couldn't help but ask when Itachi found a spot he liked, gently turning her to face him. Finally daring to risk it, Sakura looked him in the eye, heart stuttering, the world unexplainably becoming a blur around them at her next word, at his next movement. "Us?"

His arm came around her waist, bringing her closer yet maintaining that careful, respectful distance that threatened to drive her insane almost instantaneously. "Is there an 'us' to discuss?"

Yes, there was, she wanted to argue hotly. As long as they had feelings towards one another, as long as they had those thoughts about one another, then there would always be an 'us' with them. Kissing each other the way they had proved that. It had felt like years worth of built up tension had finally exploded between them, consuming them both. It was such a terrifying rush.

The hold on her hand was readjusted and Sakura did all she could to ignore the traitorous thumping of her heart when he held her gaze, beginning a slow, somehow tender step touch dance, guiding her backwards, following her closely.

"Sakura?"

"You know there is," she accused quietly, eyes scanning the dancefloor and easily picking out Sasuke and Mikoto once more. Too busy making his mother's night with his undivided attention and dancing, he failed to notice them right next to him. "Unless you don't agree?"

Itachi spun them once more, diverting her attention away from Sasuke, their backs almost brushing as they passed, like some kind of cruel symbolism. For a few seconds, Itachi didn't answer her, his gaze focusing on his younger brother until it met hers, his frown minute.

Stunning her momentarily, he took a step back, taking them away from Sasuke.

"No, I agree," Itachi murmured with a sigh, looking down at her.

Her feet carefully copied his and it didn't take long for her to fall into his pattern, allowing Itachi to effortlessly guide them around the dancefloor, even further away from her boyfriend. Occasionally, she would look away, spotting only a few faces she knew, the others stirring blurry memories within her, telling Sakura they were no doubt Uchiha.

Then, her gaze fell on Kurotsuchi, who was laughing with Deidara and Kisame, hip cocking to the side as she shifted from one foot to the other.

Her chest gave a painful squeeze.

"Are you going home with her?" Sakura demanded before she could stop herself, though certainly didn't regret it.

"Kurotsuchi-san?"

"There's more?" she asked rhetorically, snorting.

He sighed at that, spinning her under his arm. Instead of allowing her into the arms of another as many others did so during the song change, however, he brought her closer once more, taking a step back.

"Well?" she demanded when nothing was said. "Are you going home with Kurotsuchi-san?"

"Would it bother you if I did?"

"Yes-" Sakura cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath, horrified at her own confession. She looked away, unable to look him in the eye as she eventually and reluctantly admitted, "It shouldn't, but yes. It bothers me. The thought of you being with her bothers me."

What he was doing was wrong. Whether it was his using Kurotsuchi to rid them of any suspicion and in turn, leading her on knowing how she felt about him, or his dating Kurotsuchi because he liked her _and_ kissing Sakura because he liked her too. But Sakura knew he was not entirely to blame. She had just as big a part in the mess they had created. If anything, she was worse.

Proof of her wrongdoing was their dancing. Their dance served as a way to tease her mercilessly, the threatening of his touching her making Sakura's heart pound away in her chest, only increasing in pace when her leg nearly brushed against his as they took a step to the side. It shouldn't have made her feel such a way, but it did. Their hands clasped together shouldn't have her feeling warm on the inside, but it did. His hand on her waist shouldn't have caused that pit in her stomach to rage with hotness suddenly, but it did.

Gods, her nerves couldn't handle Uchiha Itachi and the feelings he evoked within her.

"As does your being with my brother." At her withering glare, both at the weak diversion and the ache it caused her, he murmured, "No, I do not plan on going home with Kurotsuchi-san."

"Have you told her that?"

"Many times." He sighed again. "She appears to like a challenge."

Her stomach twisted with unease and she tried to find the dark-haired woman, only to offer a smile when she caught Sasuke's eye. It only lasted a brief moment, though, as his attention returned to Mikoto, who then gave Sakura a smile, too. She wondered if they were talking about her, especially when Mikoto glanced their way once more while saying something until Itachi had them spinning out of sight.

"Our kiss-"

"Shouldn't have happened," she said firmly, meeting his eye and begging with her expression alone that he didn't continue that sentence. She truly was too weak to hear where it was going. "No matter how badly we wanted it, we should have had more self-control."

"Like we do now?"

Her breath caught when they spun again, Itachi risking them growing impossibly closer in the guise of avoiding another dancing couple, their chests flush, allowing her to feel his breath against her temple, her lips damn near brushing against his neck, before stepping back into their careful distance.

The hand on his shoulder increased its grip briefly and she swallowed, glancing down at the distance between their bodies.

Their so-called self-control was shaky at best and it was breaking her heart witnessing it – witnessing her own infidelity and being powerless to stop it. No matter what she did, no matter how hard to tried to stop thinking about Uchiha Itachi, she couldn't. He refused to go away.

"Do you truly believe I want to hurt my brother?"

Weakly, she shook her head.

"Do you believe we are able to continue as just friends?"

"Do you?"

Sakura looked up in time to see his lips pull up at one corner, his smirk making her stomach warm.

"No," he replied honestly. "I want you too much."

It was the most direct he'd ever been with her and she sucked in a sharp breath, head ducking, hoping more than anything that Itachi didn't see her reaction. Encouraging him was a no-go. It would make her feelings go haywire once more.

What she needed to do was lock the feelings and their memories away – anything and everything that involved Uchiha Itachi had to go.

But could she do it?

While lifting her head to look at him once more, Sakura caught sight of Sasuke, catching his eye when he turned with his mother. A small, content smile was directed her way and she felt her heart clench in response, especially when he began leading the dance towards them. Unknowingly, she noticed, Itachi guided them even closer.

She met Itachi's gaze, refusing to show anything that would encourage their feelings. "Then I stand by what I said earlier today," Sakura told him, ignoring the ache in her bones at the flash of emotion in his eyes. "We can't be friends anymore, Itachi."

"And if that is not what I want?"

"You think I want that?" she questioned softly. She was wary of others hearing them now that they were close to the centre of the dancefloor. Before speaking once more, her hand twitched, tightening its grip momentarily on his. "You've become so important to me – too important. I shouldn't be placing you higher than Sasuke-kun. I shouldn't be wishing to spend more time with you over him. I shouldn't be hurting at the mere thought of you going home with Kurotsuchi-san. I-"

Dark eyes drifted to the side to hide whatever he was feeling, but she didn't follow his line of sight, instead keeping her gaze fixated on his features, hoping to see... She wasn't sure. Seeing his emotions wouldn't make it any easier, would it? "I get that I'm being selfish," she murmured to him and glanced around quickly, trying to spot Sasuke. Luckily for them, he was caught up in spinning Mikoto, smiling at her laughing freely. "The whole I can't have you, but I hate seeing you with anyone else attitude… It's wrong. It's selfish. But I…"

"I understand, Sakura."

"If you go home with Kurotsuchi-san, that's fine," she lied, doing all she could to ignore the powerful squeeze of her chest, the one threatening to crush the life out of her. "If you don't, then that's fine, too. It's not my business – I'm sorry for demanding answers."

"It's okay, Sakura-"

"And I'm sorry for kissing you," she quickly shot out, desperate to have everything off her chest before Sasuke caught up with them. "And for leading you on – because that's what I've been doing and-"

"Sakura," he cut her off more firmly, forcing her to meet his gaze and she felt the traitorous tears scalding her as they filled her eyes. "This – our friendship, or relationship, whichever you choose to describe it – is not based on you leading me on. I don't believe for one moment that you're capable of doing such a thing."

Her expression crumbled. She really didn't deserve his kindness. "But…"

Itachi smiled, but it was a smile that hurt her rather than comforted her, as _that look_ had returned, indicating his sadness and longing. Their conversation was hurting him and _it was crushing_ seeing his pain. "You are my brother's girlfriend." She nodded quickly. "We are both at fault here."

"Which is why you need to move on," Sakura told him despite it killing her on the inside and that feeling only doubled when she heard his breath leave him, his hold on her slackening. "We can never happen, Itachi – won't ever happen. Sasuke-kun is in a really bad place right now and he needs us both to be there for him."

He wasn't looking at her anymore, Sakura realised brokenly. Instead, Itachi's gaze was fixed on something over her shoulder and she knew that it was most likely his family.

"What about you?" he questioned blandly.

Gods, she wished he wouldn't close himself off, but she knew she'd basically asked it of him.

Looking back to her, he asked, "What if Sasuke never changes? What happens when he inevitably hurts you again?"

The voice that used to scream that that wasn't possible, that her dear Sasuke-kun would get better for _her_, would come back with a vengeance and sweep her off her feet, proving the whole world wrong, was nothing more than a broken whisper in the back of her mind.

It only grew quieter, sounding more battle weary, at his expression when Sakura told him, "I believe he can."

Their dance stopped, his hold on her disappearing as Itachi spun her out, allowing her into the arms of another.


	20. I'm Missing The Same Old Us

**Chapter 20**

**I'm Missing The Same Old Us**

* * *

Well, it was safe to say she had well and truly pissed Uchiha Fugaku off with her behaviour.

"Your mother could not have worded it better," muttered Fugaku. "You disgraced yourself."

Seated in his impressive office chair, behind that overly large desk, he was incredibly intimidating – and that was _before_ her horrific dream swept to the forefront of her mind, reminding of her fear and anxiety.

"I am well aware that you were not the one who instigated the fight," he went onto saying and she swallowed hard at the oncoming but. "However, your response has shamed us all."

She nodded wordlessly, knowing she was not to speak up yet.

Fugaku didn't need to stand for him to feel like he was towering over her, his presence forcing her to feel so miniscule and insignificant. In response to the feelings, she looked down at her feet, willing herself to be strong, though looked him in the eye when Fugaku ordered her to do so.

"While we are on the subject of being shamed," he began, and her blood ran cold as she knew exactly where the conversation was headed. "Showing up to Sasuke's party dressed the way you are, paired with the way you behaved, was entirely disrespectful."

Again, she nodded.

"Give me one good reason as to why I should not end things between you and Sasuke," he ordered coldly, gaze narrowing.

Disbelief had her looking up at him, wide eyed and slack jawed. "Because it's not your relationship to end."

That narrowed gaze widened fractionally and in response her breathing stopped, like one sudden movement would cause him to lunge for her throat.

Shit.

_Shit!_

Gods, she was all talk, wasn't she? She'd been fine throwing her weight around, proclaiming to be standing her ground and making a statement, but when it came to standing before the man who caused so much upset and pain, she backed down. She lost her supposed backbone.

Like in her dream, he stripped her bare, leaving her vulnerable and scared.

"Watch your mouth," he muttered in a cold warning. "You are causing problem after problem as of late. Do not think of me as a lenient man who will tolerate this kind of problematic behaviour."

If he was able to hurt his family without thinking twice about it, what was he capable of doing to her? Sakura didn't want to find out. She truly didn't.

Remaining frozen in her spot, she was unable to react to him standing, but much to her utter relief, there was a knock on the door, the intruder refusing to wait to be given permission to enter, instead sticking his head inside the room.

"Ah, there you are, Uncle Fugaku."

Glancing over her shoulder, she _begged_ Shisui to get her out of there with her eyes, hoping and praying that he would find some sort of excuse to help her. But would he? Would he be too scared to go against his uncle? He knew what Fugaku was capable of, after all. He knew what he would do if they were to get in his way.

"I am busy."

"My apologies," he said, but she wondered if he really meant it. "Itachi asked that I find you – he has a request."

"It can wait."

Smiling apologetically, Shisui told him, "I'm not sure it can."

Fugaku's annoyance continued to grow and she _needed_ to get away. "Are they his words?"

Would it really make much of a difference?

"I'm afraid so." Then, he added, "Sakura-chan, Sasuke is waiting for you in his car. He's asked me to escort you."

Freedom.

She leapt at the chance, all but sprinting to the door and smiling gratefully, doing her utmost to ignore the deathly glare boring into her back. As soon as she reached him, Shisui held out his arm, refraining from expressing his emotions to her in that moment, but Sakura knew that it was only due to being in Fugaku's presence.

"I have not dismissed you-"

At her subtle flinch, Shisui's eyes narrowed fractionally, his arm strengthening its hold on hers. "But it's Sasuke's birthday," he said jokingly. Was she the only one to see the seriousness in his eyes? "Surely you will allow it just this once, Uncle?"

He merely stared.

She swallowed, turning but not releasing Shisui's arm. As much as she hated to do it, as much as her pride begged of her not to, Sakura said, "I'm sorry, Fugaku-san. For my appearance and for my behaviour throughout Sasuke-kun's party. I never meant to cause any offence or bring any shame on your family."

There was instant tension in Shisui's body at her words, but she was so very glad that he didn't say anything.

Suddenly, Fugaku sighed. "Thank you. You may leave."

That was it? He simply wanted her to apologise?

Hiding her frown, she allowed Shisui to escort her from the office, grateful that his usual flirtatious behaviour was nowhere to be seen. Adding fuel to the fire at that point wouldn't only be disastrous, it'd be catastrophic, Fugaku's demand to know why he shouldn't end her relationship with his son repeating itself in her mind. They couldn't give him more reason to believe that to be for the best.

It was the second they were way out of earshot that he tucked her into the dining room, shutting the door to and cupping her face, eyes serious as he assessed her features like he was trying to see some kind of bruising or other signs of abuse.

Just the relief that filled his expression frightened her, answering her earlier thoughts of Fugaku being more than willing to bring harm to someone.

"I won't ask if you're okay," he murmured lowly and stepped back, granting her some space to take a shuddering breath. "But I will ask: how are you feeling?"

"Scared," she admitted, voice weak and she swallowed. "He asked me why he shouldn't end my relationship with Sasuke-kun."

There was a quiet curse and Shisui peered through the gap of the door, the pair of them remaining silent as they heard Fugaku's office door opening. Said man soon walked by the dining room, his features stony.

When he was gone, Shisui looked to her again, saying, "It would be best to keep your head down for a while, Sakura-chan." Then, he smirked that perverted smirk of his, adding, "As much as I love seeing _this_–" He gestured to her state of dress, admiring the flare of her hips and the boost in her breasts, much to her embarrassment. "I don't like seeing you getting into trouble."

It wasn't fair, though. She felt comfortable in her own skin for the first time in forever. She enjoyed being complimented by others – loved that they admired her like they would Ino. Why did she have to cover up? Why was Fugaku in control of what she wore like they were back in the stone ages?

"No."

Having been preoccupied with peeking through the crack in the door, Shisui quickly looked her way again, repeating, "No?"

She laughed without humour, shaking her head. "Don't think of this as me disrespecting Mikoto-san, because I'm not. I love her like she's my own mother. But… I refuse to be anything like her."

He sighed, but there was a small smile that accompanied it. "At least give me some warning the next time you decide to make a statement." The smile vanished, his features growing concerned. "I won't let you become like Mikoto-san. The people you claim to love should never become your personal punching bags."

He was on about Sasuke, wasn't he?

Instead of letting anything show, Sakura smiled tiredly. "Right."

"Go," he said with a faint tinge of reluctance. "Sasuke is waiting for you."

And so she left.

* * *

Holy shit.

She'd never thought it would be so different from her own – driving Sasuke's car, she meant.

It was so freaking different.

Earlier, she'd lied to Sasuke in saying she'd driven his car to a garage. Really, it'd been their best friend (she'd been too scared of damaging it and angering him) and she was scared as hell that he would find out. He would lose his damn mind.

"Easy on the clutch," he ordered, and she knew he was inwardly cringing at the sound his engine was making.

Not for the first time, she apologised profusely, especially when turning a corner and accidentally mounting the pavement with the back tyre. Gods, she was so tempted to pull over and force Sasuke to take over, but he didn't know where they were going and had had so much to drink that evening. She had the route memorised.

It wasn't only the clutch that she was struggling with. It was the sheer size of his car, too. Hers may as well have been an original Mini Cooper – that was how big Sasuke's car felt in that moment. Everything was wider. Longer. Hell, whenever they pulled up at the lights, she always ended up leaving an unnecessary amount of room between her and the car in front, terrified that she would accidentally bump into them, as the bonnet was longer than her own.

"Where are we going?" questioned Sasuke.

Was he trying to make her feel more at ease? Sakura smiled, but didn't dare to look away from the road. It felt like she was a learner all over again. "Away from Konoha," was all she said.

It took her another half hour before she began to feel comfortable stopping and starting in his car, her confidence growing whenever Sakura saw Sasuke smirking proudly. It exploded to new heights when he soon relaxed in his seat, admiring the sight of her driving. She supposed it was a rare sight for him, as Sasuke was always the one to drive. He rarely relinquished control.

_Unlike Itachi_, a traitorous voice whispered in her mind.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

She kept seeing his reaction to her telling him to move on, her words causing his face to fall. The look of–

No. She refused to call it heartbreak. Calling it heartbreak made it more serious than she wanted it to be. More than she could handle.

"We need a break," Sakura suddenly spoke up, smiling in his direction. "Time away from everyone and everything."

"Just us," he agreed.

"So, I was thinking," she began slowly, awkwardly. "We could leave our phones in the car."

Much to her surprise, he agreed easily, nodding. "No distractions." There was a pause before he added, "Mother said she's hosting a dinner tomorrow night. Madara's coming." Her smile faltered and Sasuke sighed in response. "You don't have to come, but I would appreciate it if you could."

He wanted her support. Sakura's smile returned, her eyes focusing on the lane they were about to switch to. Due to it being so late into the evening, the roads were pretty much empty.

Honestly, she shouldn't _really_ have been driving due to drinking earlier. But she'd sobered up considerably, eating her bodyweight in food and refusing to drink anything alcoholic after her bust up with Ino five hours ago. She knew it'd still be in her system if they were pulled over, but her driving was fine from what she could tell. No, it must have been, because Sasuke wouldn't have let her drive otherwise.

"No, I'll come," she assured him, slowly coming to a stop at a red light. She was getting the hang of driving his car now. "If only to irritate him with my presence."

He smirked at that.

It took another twenty minutes before they arrived at their destination, pulling up to a field that'd been fenced off. Legally, they shouldn't be trespassing, Sasuke informed her, stopping at the fence even as she climbed over it, waiting for him to hand the bags over. It was her smirking impishly, goading him (knowing exactly how to bend him to her will, thanks to Naruto), that had Sasuke following reluctantly, eyeing his car warily.

"It'll be fine," said Sakura, grinning while taking his hand. They were each carrying a couple of bags, equally distributing the weight (something she was so very happy about, as it meant he didn't think she was weak). "Do you really think I'd have your car all done up just to put it at risk a few hours later?"

He grunted and she took that as winning him over, tugging on his hand so that she was able to lead the way.

Further into the field, there was a dip, the top of the hill shielding them from people who could potentially walk by the fence and spot them. She knew Sasuke valued privacy, so they made the bottom of the dip their destination.

Sakura glanced up at the night sky, her grin widening at the sight of the stars, before she placed down the bags, grateful that the grass was not wet. To be on the safe side, she'd brought along a waterproof sheet that would go beneath their blankets (as well as a tent, just in case they planned on staying out).

Opening the bag, she took out the blankets and waterproof sheet, thanking Sasuke when he helped her in laying them flat on the grass, brushing away any dirt once they were ready. He also took the liberty in putting the tent up not far from the blankets, looking her way once it was finished, making her stomach flip.

"Just in case," she murmured shyly.

She knew the implications of bringing a tent. It would be their first time staying out all night without friends accompanying them. Even at the hotel not too long ago, they'd had their friends there, the constant reminder of Naruto potentially walking in on them (as well as not being ready for such a huge step) keeping them from going any further sexually.

Crouching, Sakura continued emptying the bag, placing a stereo to one side of the blankets, directly opposite the picnic blanket Sasuke suddenly put down.

"Did you have a good birthday?" she asked as they sat down together.

The quietness of the field was relieving, although it did add some awkwardness to their conversation as she struggled to find topics for them to discuss. That kept happening as of late, she couldn't help but notice – struggling to talk about things. While they were certainly more open with one another than ever, finding ways to fill the silence when there was nothing important to talk about was difficult. It'd never been that way before. They'd never found the silence uncomfortable – well, she didn't, anyway.

Sasuke nodded, busying himself with pouring two cups of tea from the flask she'd filled up. "It got tiring, though."

Yeah, she'd been able to see that. He'd never really been one for being the centre of attention and now, much to his great displeasure, there was a dinner party in his honour. To make matters worse, Madara would be there and whatever other Uchiha hadn't been able to attend. Part of Sakura hoped Shisui would be there, if only to lighten the tension. He clearly hadn't been too worried about standing up to Fugaku.

"I think you made your mother's night," she praised him, smiling. "I've never seen Mikoto-san smile like that before."

"Neither have I," he admitted after a prolonged pause, his expression troubled.

It hurt seeing that pain in his eyes. Reaching out, she took his hand, shuffling closer while carefully holding her tea as still as possible so that it wouldn't spill on either of them. She was still wearing her dress and loathed the idea of ruining it.

"You're not to blame for that," Sakura said seriously. Watching him, she tried her best to convey her words in her eyes, hoping it would truly hit him that it was not his fault. "She's scared of your dad, Sasuke-kun."

"What did he say to you earlier?" Finally, Sasuke met her gaze, frowning. "You were quiet when you got in the car."

Gods, did she tell him? _Could_ she tell him? Would it set him off? It struck her deeply that she _shouldn't_ be worried about how something would affect him, but she did, because Sakura knew exactly what Sasuke was like. She knew how he would react deep in her heart and she knew that it would not be pleasant.

But they'd promised to be more truthful with one another.

Itachi's face flashed to the front of her mind, his reaction to her telling him to move on making Sakura swallow hard. It caused a weight in her chest, one that doubled when she met Sasuke's eye again.

Neither of them deserved the pain she was causing them or going to cause them.

"Sakura."

"He said I disgraced myself and brought shame on you all," she said before she could think of a more eloquent way of phrasing it, the words flowing from her mouth without a second thought. "He…"

The anger shining in his expression forced her to grow silent, leading him to push with a quiet, "He…?"

That weight wasn't letting up, Sakura realised with a quickly escalating fear. Gods, she couldn't breathe! It was like her lungs were too big for her chest, only growing larger with every breath she took and she sat up straighter, only vaguely seeing Sasuke's concern knocking the anger away entirely, taking the cup from her and placing them down near the picnic basket.

"Sakura?" he questioned worriedly.

Tears filled her eyes.

She was a horrible person.

"H-He…"

"Forget him," Sasuke ordered, hands faltering when he'd reached out to grab her face. Frustration had him glancing to the side momentarily, but he took a deep breath, telling her in a much calmer voice, "I'm sorry for getting angry."

It wasn't Sasuke. Not entirely. No, the problem was her. She was the one who was hurting everyone. She'd hurt Itachi – looked like she'd broken his goddamn heart. And Sasuke! Gods, what was she supposed to do? She had to tell him the truth. She had to tell him what she did. But he'd never forgive her, would he? He'd hate her. Rightly so! Gods, what was she thinking?

"Calm down," Sasuke demanded, eyes growing wide at the sight of her panic. Still, he didn't touch her. "Please, Sakura. Breathe."

Out of desperation, she grabbed at him, fingers locking in his shirt several times like she was trying to find a better, more secure hold, and Sakura got to her knees, hovering over him. She focused on his eyes, her gaze then moving to his lips and the rise and fall of his chest, which soon settled into a more relaxed rhythm, understanding that she was trying to copy him.

"He…" She swallowed hard, ignoring Sasuke when he told her to forget his father again. It was getting easier to breathe, especially when she demanded herself to shut Itachi out of her mind, locking him and their kiss behind a door that would never be opened again. "He asked me why he should allow us to keep seeing each other."

"He has no say in the matter," he growled, hands covering hers before falling away, his focus fixated on her hands, frustration returning briefly. "It's our relationship. Not his."

"That's what I told him," she said with a weak smile.

Dark eyes widened. "You stood up to him?"

"And chickened out seconds later," Sakura tried to laugh. "Shisui saved me."

"Saved?"

"Well, got me out of there. He–" She paused, willing the pain in her chest away as she took a deeper breath, eyes shutting as she focused on returning her breathing to normal. "He made up some excuse about Itachi needing to see him."

"Itachi probably saw you going in there with him," Sasuke informed her. "You're his friend. He wouldn't want to see you hurt, even if it's not physically."

She nodded, mentally shoving all her weight on the shaking door labelled 'Itachi'. To try and change the subject, she asked, "Do you remember this song?" As much as it shouldn't have, it hurt that he had to think about it, listening to more of the song before nodding, as Sakura knew he only nodded to try and spare her feelings. He didn't remember it. "Naruto was playing it on our first day at school after starting our relationship."

It wasn't anything significant, she supposed. To others, it probably seemed like nothing. But to her, it meant so much. After all, it was the day when they let the whole school know about their relationship. The song never failed to take her back in time, making Sakura smile whenever she recalled the way Naruto had obnoxiously half yelled down the school corridor, supposedly singing along, grinning whenever people groaned and told him to shut up.

It hadn't been all that long into their relationship, so she and Sasuke had still been so awkward around one another. So unsure of how to act around each other.

* * *

_Sakura bit her lip, cheeks flushing when Sasuke stepped closer to her, allowing a group of older kids to pass by them, nodding once to them in passing. Belatedly, she noticed his older brother, Itachi, amongst the group, eyes drawn to the way the others surrounded him. He seemed so casual, so carefree. Nothing like the boy she'd spoken to and seen around the Uchiha Manor who rarely said a word._

_She smiled when their eyes met, cheeks continuing to burn when he returned it with a gentle one of his own._

* * *

That was…

Sakura shoved more mental weight on the door, locking the once pleasant memory in there too. At least, the part that included Itachi.

Funny how she'd never really paid much attention to that before – to him, she meant.

No. She couldn't think about it. If she thought about it, too much would change.

"I remember," Sasuke said suddenly, his genuine realisation taking her breath away. "You changed perfumes that day for the new year."

Green eyes widened and she fell back onto her haunches, hold on his shirt slackening. "You remember that?"

"I remember all the perfumes you used," he said like it was obvious. "That year was the year you started your tradition of changing it every year, right?"

Yes. It was.

She threw herself at him, arms coming around his neck, squashing their bodies together and Sakura groaned with annoyance when his hands remained mid-air, like he was still worried about touching her.

"Gods, Sasuke-kun. Just _touch me_!"

* * *

_Her breath caught as they stumbled backwards, her lower back coming into contact with his dresser before Itachi surprised Sakura by lifting her with ease, setting her down on it. It was naturally that her legs parted, dress hiking higher until it was barely touching her thighs at all, granting him unspoken permission to move closer to her. His hand fell flat to the wall behind her, other white knuckled next to her thigh, brow creasing._

_"It's okay," she breathed between kisses, unable to connect the voice as her own, briefly meeting his eye. "You can touch me."_

_He didn't need telling twice, hands instantly seeking out her smooth thighs, her skin tingling at the feeling of them finally touching, the pressure of his grip eliciting a short-lived, breathy moan that only seemed to spur him on. The hold on her grew bolder, more confident, as they slid up her thighs, clutching at her ass and making her hiss with need when she was yanked forward, their hips pressing together deliciously._

* * *

Shutting down the memory was difficult.

Like his brother, he didn't need to be told twice it seemed, his hands immediately coming to her body. First her waist, before they trailed along her dress, coming to her back, his arms slowly wrapping around her until he was returning her embrace with equal strength, cheek resting on hers. Sakura shut her eyes as she felt his sigh of relief, like he'd missed holding her so freely, without worry of frightening her and she felt tears filling her eyes in response.

She missed it, too.

She missed it so fucking bad.

Slowly, unsurely, her leg shifted over his, allowing her to straddle him and instantly, Sasuke looked to her, pulling back a few inches to meet her eye.

The door in her mind started shaking again.

Sakura shut her eyes.

_Move on._

She had to move on, too.

Her hand came to his face, eyes opening once more, a small smile playing on her lips as she saw his uncertainty.

"Sakura…"

"It's okay," she told him.

It was during the process of her hand slipping to the back of his head, stroking the nape of his neck, that Sakura's head lowered to his, capturing his lips in a slow kiss.

_Move on._

Brow puckering as Sasuke deepened the kiss, leaning up, hands pulling her closer, Sakura did her utmost to relax into the kiss and keep the door in her mind shut. Curiously, her hands began exploring his body, fingertips hesitant, careful, when she sat back, parting from the kiss to watch the shift in his shirt as she touched him.

She was in control when on top of him, Sakura realised, initiating the kiss once more and it seemed as though Sasuke didn't mind too much. Instead, he savoured their kisses, breathing out shakily when she lowered herself to him fully, fingers popping a single button open before pausing on the next. Stunning her, Sasuke groaned quietly into their next kiss, his tongue seeking hers, tangling in a way that wasn't wholly unpleasant, although the inexperience _did_ show. She wondered if her own had been obvious when Itachi–

She faltered, damn near flinching.

Sasuke pulled back, his uncertainty returning. "What is it?"

"Your last surprise," she lied, swallowing. "I've left it in the car."

He brushed it off, lips going to her neck. "Leave it for now."

The hold on her was strong, Sakura realised with a surge of panic, her own hands coming to his shoulder and chest, forcing him back slightly. "I-I'd rather not."

It seemed he realised he was being pushy, because Sasuke nodded and allowed her to get up, eyes not meeting hers.

She smiled shakily. "I'll be back in a second."

Having swapped her heels for flats before leaving (knowing she would be driving), Sakura had no issues in jogging back over to the car.

As expected, it was still in perfect condition and she wasted no time in slipping into the passenger seat, opening the glovebox where she'd hidden the surprise. Luckily for her, Sasuke hadn't been too suspicious when she'd demanded to be the one who put the phones in there, instead busying himself with grabbing the bags.

She grabbed the surprise, holding it in the palm of her hand to admire it before steeling her nerves, gripping it tightly.

But as she was about to leave the car, she heard a familiar _ping _that had her pausing.

As much as she knew she shouldn't, despite knowing how badly it would be invading his privacy, Sakura reached out, tilting the phone upwards so that the screen would light up, the name that showed making her frown.

She was glad the interior light had shut itself off in an attempt to save the battery, for her frown only deepened when Sakura took the phone out of the glovebox, her heart in her throat as she easily unlocked it. Sasuke knew she knew his passcode and it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest – something she repeated in her mind as his message opened, the picture she was greeted with making tears fill her eyes.

_Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun_.

Hand covering her mouth, Sakura could only stare at the picture of her supposed best friend in horror, the sight of her naked body causing her own to fill with a mixture of intense anger, hurt and hatred.

How could she…?

Swallowing hard in a sad attempt to smother the building sob, Sakura scrolled through the previous messages, frown turning to a scowl as she saw Ino's provocative words. Sasuke, in his only defence, repeatedly told her to sober up and leave him alone, but it did little to lessen her anger and hurt, since he should have told her. He should have blocked Ino's number. Why the hell hadn't he done either of those things? If he was so worried about hurting her, he should have blocked Ino at the very least.

"Oh my Gods," she finally sobbed, heart breaking as she found it wasn't the first nude Ino had sent to him.

"Sakura-"

She didn't even try to hide the fact she'd been reading through his messages with _her_ best friend, too infuriated, too broken up, about the fact that he'd seen Ino naked, had been receiving sexts from her, had been _checking her the fuck out right in front of her_–

"I-"

"Don't you dare say you can explain."

He fell silent.

"What-" Sakura cut herself off, just barely resisting the urge to slam the phone into the dashboard as she was able to _keep scrolling_. "How long, Sasuke-kun?" Silence. Her voice raised. "How long does this go on for?"

"Too long," Sasuke admitted, voice low.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" she demanded.

"I told her to stop-"

"You should have blocked her!" Sakura snapped angrily, though made no move to get out of the car or stop scrolling, her heart breaking the further and further she continued to scroll. "You should have told me!"

Many of the texts he received went unanswered, but whenever that happened, Ino would get the response she craved by sending a nude photograph, prompting him into telling her to leave him alone. One nude came after eleven ignored texts.

Deciding she couldn't read Ino's passages about what she wanted him to do to her and what she'd do to him, Sakura placed her hands on the dashboard, trying to breathe through her rage and betrayal.

"I'm sorry."

That didn't stop her tears. It didn't stop her sobbing.

Grip intensifying, she tossed the phone back into the glovebox like she'd been burned, hands coming to her face. She didn't want him to see her so broken up by it – he didn't deserve to see it.

"I need a minute," she croaked.

"How am I–"

"I said I need a minute."

"No-"

She dropped her hands, glaring up at him, yelling so damn loud that her voice gave out in some places and shook in others, "I said give me a minute, Sasuke!"

The pain in his face as he turned and returned to their spot in the field shouldn't have caused her more upset and it only made her rage grow when it did.

It was in that moment of rage that she reached for her own phone, sending only two words to a number she rarely, if ever, texted. His responding thank you went ignored though as Sakura threw her phone back into the glove box, attempting to calm herself. But how was she supposed to do that? He'd–

He'd told her to stop. While he hadn't blocked her or told Sakura, he'd made it obvious he didn't appreciate the messages. He ignored the majority of them.

The door in her mind shook again, stronger than before.

Was it really that different from what she'd done? Yes, it was, because what she'd done was so much worse. Whereas he'd ignored Ino, Sakura had welcomed Itachi with open arms. Whereas he'd told her to go away, she'd kissed Itachi.

She was such a goddamn hypocrite.

Wiping at her face, she grabbed Sasuke's phone once more, calling Ino without hesitation, breathing deeply to remain calm when the blonde answered immediately with a smug tone in her voice.

"_Well, well, Sasuke-kun. I knew that one was the best one I've ever taken, but I didn't think it'd actually gift me with a phone call."_

For a moment, Sakura couldn't reply, throat feeling impossibly tight.

"_What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?"_ Ino questioned in an almost purr. "_Are you playing with yourself too?"_

Bitch–

_Deep breaths_, she warned herself.

"_I am,"_ she whispered seductively, breath hitching. "_Just thinking of-"_

"–of how much of a backstabbing bitch you are makes me sick to my stomach," Sakura snarled before she could stop herself, the sound of Ino's shock making that anger in her gut twist sharply. "Did you even think about me when you started sending your slutty messages to my boyfriend?"

"_Forehead-"_

"Don't 'Forehead' me," she snapped into the phone. "Did you seriously think I wouldn't find out?"

_"Did he tell you?"_

"Yeah," she lied with surprising ease. Gods, she was so angry. "You know, I was willing to put our fight behind us for the sake of our friendship, because despite how hard you were trying to hurt me, I didn't want to lose you."

There was a shake in Ino's voice as she said, "_Please, Sakura–"_

"Go to hell, Ino," Sakura told her in another snarl. "You've made it pretty clear you don't see me as a friend, so rot in the hell you've made for yourself. I'm done with you."

With that, she hung up the phone, returning it to the glovebox, determined on speaking calmly with Sasuke.

Upon leaving the car, however, and finding Sasuke climbing back over the fence to talk with her, she felt the anger reigniting, even though Sakura repeatedly told herself she had no right to be so upset with him.

"Sakura–"

"Block her number," Sakura ordered, already grabbing the phone and handing it over to him. "And delete all messages and pictures from her."

Sasuke nodded, doing so without hesitation. "I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"She's your friend," he responded quietly, frowning. He held up the phone, showing Sakura that it was done, but she kept her hard eyes on his. "I thought that by telling her to get lost or move on, or by simply mentioning you, would make her realise how ridiculous she was being."

_Move on._

"I should have told you," he went on to saying, his frown deepening. "I didn't think. I'm sorry."

What right did she have to be upset with him? She'd kissed his older brother. She'd been so worked up after their steamy make out session that simply _knowing_ there was a bed in the room riled her up.

_Move on._

She had to accept her own advice, didn't she?

The tears returned, throat constricting.

As much as it hurt, she had to forgive him and move on. She had no choice.

"Please," she quietly begged, her sudden vulnerable display making Sasuke falter, his own expression falling, her next words making his own eyes glassy. "Please stop hurting me."


	21. Reap What You Sow

**Chapter 21**

**Reap What You Sow**

* * *

"What was the surprise?"

It was the seventh time Sasuke had tried to fill the silence. No, she hadn't ignored all other attempts, but Sakura was aware that her halfhearted responses were severely lacking. He may as well have been talking to a brick wall.

"This," she mumbled and held out her hand, feeling vaguely surprised that she still had it, more so that she'd forgotten she'd been holding onto it so desperately. There were indentations on her hand where she'd been squeezing it.

He looked down at her, eyes widening slightly. "Is that…?"

"The key to your family's beach house," Sakura told him with a sigh, focus trained on the night sky. "I've arranged for us to spend our anniversary weekend there."

"Sakura…"

She felt drained. Utterly exhausted. Honestly, she would have gone home, but she didn't feel like she was in any state to drive and Sasuke most definitely wasn't – he'd had way too much to drink. So, for a few hours, they were stuck. Either until he sobered up, or until she wasn't lost in her own head.

It was a good thing she brought the tent, Sakura thought sulkily to herself, even if it wasn't for romance like she'd originally thought it to be. No, she hadn't planned on giving herself to him and she wasn't sure how far they would've gone, if anywhere at all, but they would've spent time together. They would've talked without restraint. Cuddled. Possibly made out.

"I never told you because Ino is your friend. I didn't want it to hurt you."

Didn't want it to hurt her? She snorted. "It would have hurt less if you told me as soon as it happened."

"Would it?" He sounded disbelieving.

Her eyes narrowed. "I would've lost Ino either way. You, on the other hand, have made it look like you _wanted_ her attention."

"You think I liked that?" demanded Sasuke.

"You didn't block her-"

"Because that would make you suspicious," he snapped. "If our genders were reversed, would it be as bad?" Sasuke questioned her, the tightness of his eyes signifying his growing annoyance. "Or would it finally be classed as harassment?"

Harassment.

The word took her breath away, leaving her to stare at Sasuke with widening eyes, because he had a point – a point so sharp it felt like it punctured her heart. Had she been on the receiving end of the barrages of messages, it would have been classed as sexual harassment. That was without even bringing the pictures into it, too.

Turning up at his place wasted and clad in nothing but a bikini, constantly draping herself all over him, flashing Sasuke those coy smiles and glimpses of her cleavage, her tone of voice when talking to him and now the messages and pictures. If their genders were reversed, had Sasuke been the one doing such things, he would instantly be labelled as a predator, rather than a nuisance.

She swallowed, hoping foolishly that it would force down her heartbreak.

"You know me better than anyone," Sasuke continued in a low mutter, his voice bordering on a growl. "You know I can't stand that kind of attention."

He was too much of a prude. For the longest time, he'd shied away from merely holding her hand in front of others. It wasn't until recently that they'd began exploring their sexual needs and wants.

"Just because I'm a guy, it doesn't mean I like that shit."

No, it didn't. "But… why wouldn't you delete the messages?"

"I would rather have the proof there, to show that I never encouraged her behaviour."

Her boyfriend was a suspicious guy – no, not suspicious. Paranoid, maybe? Was that the better word to use? Either way, Sakura knew that he would have been experiencing some form of paranoid thoughts, overthinking absolutely everything, coming up with endless possibilities as to what could happen should he make a single mistake.

Had he seen this outcome already? Sakura wondered, watching him. Even if he had, his reaction and body language now was much too raw to be faked. Sasuke was in genuine pain. But how was she supposed to know whether he went back to those vulgar messages? How did she believe him when he said he felt nothing for those tasteless photographs?

Altogether, as of that night, Ino had sent five nudes. _Five_. And no two pictures were ever the same – she sent him pictures of her bent over and looking over her shoulder at the camera (camera no doubt on a timer and placed somewhere), of her splayed out on the bed with her hands… _playing_, a close up of her features and breasts with a come hither expression, another of her in the shower with her head tilted back, hands in her hair, body arching and causing her breasts to push out further, her hourglass figure seemingly flawless and finally (and by far the worst), was of her sleeping with a faceless, pale, dark haired guy, his physique close to mirroring but not quite Sasuke's, her expression contorting with pure pleasure.

Had Sasuke felt anything for them? Was he attracted to Ino?

"You checked her out in front of me," Sakura whispered brokenly, no matter how hard she tried to seem stronger. "Several times."

"I know," Sasuke replied just as quietly. "And I never apologised properly for that."

No, he hadn't. They'd been too pissed with each other and by the time everything had calmed down, they both brushed it off. Both of them. That meant she hadn't apologised for kicking him, either.

"You're attracted to her."

Sasuke leaned forward somewhat, unfolding himself, his frown at her accusation deepening. "No. Shit, Sakura. I…"

"You?" she pushed.

"I don't know," he said irritably – irritated towards himself, Sakura noticed after a few beats of silence. Briefly, he leaned back, looking away like he was considering something important, before he was reaching out for her, cupping her face. "But what I _do_ know is that I have never felt this way about someone, Sakura. Attraction – if that's what I felt – is fleeting. This… My love for you isn't."

Why did it take something bad happening for him to open up in such a humongous way? Sakura watched him tearfully, wondering the validity behind his words, trying to wonder if she would ever feel one hundred percent about the things he said. If it always came after a fight or whatever, then could she really trust him? How was she supposed to know whether he was lying just to butter her up? Knowing that she was a hopeless romantic?

"You've felt attraction for another," he murmured, frowning. "I know you have."

She couldn't look at him suddenly, gaze falling to his chest, watching his heavier than usual breathing. Was he scared? "I…"

"Sakura, I was there," he said in defeat, sighing but never letting go of her. "I saw you dance with my brother at the photoshoot."

Fear shot through her, the tears in her eyes freezing, breath catching.

"You were attracted to him."

It wasn't said as an accusation. No, Sasuke was too accepting of his words, like he'd come to terms with them and Sakura replayed their conversation from that day in her mind, the one where he'd opened his heart to her and expressed that he wasn't okay with it.

* * *

_"I don't want to be the kind of boyfriend who refuses to allow you to do something you love or enjoy," he began slowly and frowned again, staring at their joined hands. "But… I told you I would be more open with you. Our relationship isn't going to improve unless we're honest about what's bothering us." He sighed, finally meeting her gaze. "I didn't like today."_

_There it was. The communication they'd promised to work on. He was finally letting her in. "I know, Sasuke-kun," she replied. Giving his hand a squeeze, she told him, "And I can assure you now, that I will never take part in another photoshoot like this. It was uncomfortable for me, too."_

_Relief. It was so clear in his eyes. "I hated seeing you with Itachi like that," Sasuke admitted, like the door was open now and he couldn't stop the confessions. "I stopped watching when you were dancing."_

* * *

Was now the best time to open up to him about it? About everything? The door in her mind rattled for the first time in a while and Sakura felt her heart give an uncomfortable squeeze.

"…I did," she whispered.

How did she continue that sentence? How did she explain to him that it had gone much, _much_ further than mere attraction?

Why was it _mere_ attraction when it was her experiencing it, compared to earth-shatteringly unforgivable when Sasuke did?

Double standards were a bitch, Sakura decided after a moment.

"I… I get it," he eventually managed to say, seemingly struggling to find the right words as his voice trailed off once more. "The photoshoot asked a lot of you both."

Gods, what the hell was she doing? Why couldn't she find the words to confess to Sasuke what she'd done? Why did it feel like she was slowly being paralysed by her own damn thoughts?

"I'm okay with it," Sasuke added, voice even quieter. "And not because I'm trying to guilt you into forgiving me. Lately, I've been…" He grimaced, his body language as he pulled away once more reminding her that opening up in such a way was still new to him. "I've been horrible to you – Itachi's like my opposite. He's kind and gentle. He's…" Sasuke huffed without amusement, glaring up at the night sky with tight eyes. "He's everything I want to be for you."

How much did Sasuke know? Sakura bit her lip worriedly, wanting nothing more than to ask him why he was saying such things.

Like he could sense her thoughts, he looked back to her, admitting, "Seeing how he acted with that woman tonight made me think and I compared it to how I've been viewing my parents' relationship."

"You idolised your father, Sasuke-kun," she croaked in his defence.

"I idolised Itachi more."

And he'd left him behind, leaving him to deal with their parents' toxic marriage alone. Had Sasuke even witnessed the brutality before Itachi left? Sakura didn't want to find out. If he hadn't, if he was left alone to find out in the harshest way possible, with no way of escaping and unable to understand what the hell was happening all of a sudden, what did that make Itachi?

Suddenly, she viewed his mixed feelings towards his brother in a new light.

While Sakura knew – even if he would never admit it – that Sasuke envied Itachi, it wasn't the main cause to him disliking him at times, was it? What if it was because he'd been left behind? What if it was because there'd been no warning? What if it was because he'd had to deal with the stress of finding it all out alone? That everything he'd ever thought to be real, was a lie?

"I need to be more like Itachi," he said suddenly. "He's the type of guy you deserve, Sakura."

The words shot straight through her heart, like an invisible arrow getting stuck there, embedded deeply and Sasuke tugged on it, trying to pull it free, unknowingly ripping her heart open in the process.

"Don't say that." There was no volume to her voice, but there was a weight, one that was impossible for Sasuke to miss.

"Why?"

"Because I…" She shook her head. "Because I love _you_ not him."

"But he's-"

"Not you," Sakura said firmly.

Gods, what the hell was she doing to him? To plant such a vicious doubt in his mind, to make him feel so inferior to his brother, was unforgivable. She was the worst kind of person.

"Sakura-"

"No, stop it. Now," she ordered and sat up straighter, glaring at him. "Yes, you're not Itachi, but I'm fine with that – I'm _happy_ about that. You're Sasuke-kun. You're your own person and you're finding your way, just like the rest of us."

He shook his head, distancing himself as he sat back. "I keep hurting you-"

"What makes you so sure Itachi doesn't make mistakes, too?"

"Because he's…"

"Because he's what?" she pushed, all but demanded. When there was no answer, she growled, realising he was shutting her out. "Don't compare yourself to others, Sasuke-kun. I love you for who you are – the good and the bad parts."

When he remained silent, making it obvious that he was no longer going to discuss it with her, Sakura gritted her teeth and threw herself back onto the ground, green eyes drawn to the stars angrily.

How could she make him see that while he had issues that needed to be dealt with, he was fine the way he was? That she loved him regardless? Gods, how much shit had she been through with him, yet remained by his side throughout it all? Didn't that tell him all he needed to know?

Quietly, she asked, "Do you remember when we were driving to Naruto's place before going to the theme park opening?" Tersely, he nodded. "Do you remember how I got changed in the car?" Again, he nodded, though it was accompanied by a sigh. He probably knew where she was going next. "I was trying to act more like Ino because I felt like that was probably what you wanted, but I know now that it's not. I thought wrong and ended up fighting with you because of it."

"You're not trashy," he said in the same fashion he had that day, though used a different word much to her gratefulness. "It felt wrong having you act it to try and get a reaction out of me."

"How is this any different?" questioned Sakura, tone softer. "How is me trying to be someone I'm not any different from you wishing you could be someone else – or more like someone else?"

When he didn't answer, looking away with a frown, she smiled softly and shuffled closer, hand covering his.

"Please, don't ever feel that way, Sasuke-kun. I don't want you to be anyone else. I want _you_."

His jaw clenched and he nodded.

She swallowed. "Back to the subject of Ino…" At his frown, she sighed, admitting, "I agreed to this stupid plan to make her go cold turkey."

Sasuke's shock was palpable. "Who?"

"Shikamaru, Choji…" She bit her lip. "Shisui."

"Because of your fight?"

What would he think of her when she told him the real reason why she suddenly agreed to it? "No," Sakura murmured and cleared her throat, knowing she had to toughen up. "I made the choice impulsively – when I saw the messages."

There was no disappointment in his eyes and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. What she'd done was wrong. Choosing to go along with a plan to force Ino to go sober out of vengeance, because of the want to hurt her back, was wrong, because it _was_ going to hurt her. A lot.

"Just be careful," he replied quietly. "If Ino can be that horrific while drunk, she'll be much worse when forced to sober up."

Yes, she knew that already.

And she was ready for it.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun?"

He hummed, head turning to the side to look at her.

"I…" Finding the right words was impossible, her voice trailing off into the darkness of their tent.

How long had they been laying there, waiting for sleep to claim them? It was hard to tell. The awkward tension between them made a minute feel like an hour and she was fairly certain that, soon enough, it would suffocate them.

"After Ino's sober," she stated slowly, frowning. "I want nothing to do with her."

There was another prolonged pause and when Sakura glanced in her boyfriend's direction, she saw his contemplative expression, no doubt trying to find a way of wording his next sentence without upsetting her further.

She sighed and shut her eyes. "Just say it."

"What if it's just the alcohol?" he questioned, shocking her with the level of uncertainty in his voice. "You saw for yourself that it was the past few months, not our entire relationship. It is only recently that she's been so persistent."

Right when her alcohol dependency exploded to new heights. Yes, Sakura had realised that already, but unlike her boyfriend, she also knew that half of the time, Ino still knew exactly what she was doing. Half of the time, she was still capable of making decisions – the alcohol merely boosted her already high confidence and made her more confrontational.

"Maybe it is," she murmured with a shrug. "But I don't know how I can forgive this. I…" Cutting herself off furiously, she took a deep breath, willing the traitorous shake of her voice to disappear. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't. _She wouldn't._ "All I see now when I think of her are those pictures and the fact you didn't delete them."

"Sakura-"

Tiredly, Sakura sighed. "No, I get it, Sasuke-kun. I understand. But it still hurts. It's going to take some time."

The last thing she wanted was to be touched, but she didn't say such a thing when Sasuke reached out hesitantly, taking her hand in his. Instead, Sakura kept her eyes shut, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming.

* * *

It was with an air of mental exhaustion that they returned to the Uchiha Manor, their bags forgotten about in the car. From the sounds of things, the others were already awake and knowing that it would be rude of them to disappear to their respective rooms in hopes of more sleep, they instead entered the dining area.

Sakura feigned happiness, saying her greetings before seating herself at the table opposite Itachi, unable to meet his eye as the pressure on the door in her mind increased.

He knew something was up, she could tell by the way he watched her momentarily before he glanced in his brother's direction, but fortunately for her, Sasuke was equally secretive as he sat beside her. It was none of his business, anyway, Sakura told herself.

Even if she did miss her friend.

Gods, she was losing everyone as of late, wasn't she? First, she had a fight with her parents (who were still upset with her), then Ino, then Itachi and part of her even felt as though she'd lost Sasuke in a way, too.

"You're back," greeted Mikoto with a strained smile.

What had she had to deal with the night before because of her actions? Sakura didn't want to find out. It made the pain she was in far worse, the weight in her chest making her restless as her knee started bouncing, fists clenching beneath the table. Either Sasuke didn't notice or he pretended not to, but Itachi did, his eyes returning to her.

"How was your evening?" Mikoto asked conversationally, sitting at the bottom of the table. Only briefly did she look to her husband, ensuring he had all needs taken care of, before eating her own breakfast.

"Good," Sakura replied, hoping the strain in her smile wasn't too obvious.

It must have been, because Itachi was once more looking between her and Sasuke.

"After dinner, we will review the rules regarding your staying here."

The cold words did little to ease her discomfort – even Mikoto's encouraging smile didn't help, because Sakura knew that it would be due to Sasuke's 'coming of age'. They would either be given less of a leash, or more. But either way it would be on Fugaku's terms.

It certainly didn't comfort her having him mention it in front of Itachi.

"Speaking of dinner," Mikoto began, though paused, eyes dropping when she met the gaze of her husband. "Sakura-chan, I have a dress I would like you to wear."

Both sons tensed at her words.

"Mother-"

"Thank you, Mikoto-san," Sakura cut the two brothers off. "But-"

"But?"

She _just barely_ hid her flinch at Fugaku's interference, much to the anger of her boyfriend. Under the table, she grabbed his hand, like she was trying to absorb his anger and use it for herself. "But I have clothes of my own. I'm sorry if it seems ungrateful."

"Not at all," Itachi spoke up, but she noticed he wasn't looking her way anymore. His gaze was locked with his father's, the stare down unsettling her further. "You are not a child, so why should you be treated as such?"

"It is hardly treating her like a child," scoffed Fugaku and Sakura had to commend him for not backing down. She certainly would have, had Itachi been staring at her like that. It was nerve-wracking to say the least. "After Haruno's stunt at Sasuke's party-"

"You mean her dress?" Sasuke shocked her by speaking up. "I bought it for her."

_No._

What the hell was he doing?

"Sasuke-kun, I-"

"You bought something like that for your girlfriend?"

"It suited her and she felt confident in herself," he muttered, eyes narrowing and he ignored his mother's attempts to break up the disagreement. "Don't take that away from her."

She could only stare up at him in wide eyed disbelief.

"How sentimental," came his disdainful mutter.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Itachi replied.

"You-"

"You're talking to me," Sasuke snarled and he sat forward in his chair, yanking his hand from hers and glaring at his father. "Not him."

"Stop it, please," begged Mikoto.

Sakura frowned over at her worriedly, taking in the sight of her grip on her cutlery and her wide eyes. It was painfully obvious that she feared for the repercussions – not for herself, but for her sons. She didn't want them to be in trouble.

But Sasuke was too wound up. He was too stressed from the night before, so having Fugaku on her back was riling him up further. Sakura knew that she had to calm him down. If she didn't, there was no telling what he'd do. He always made his worst decisions when in a bad mood.

She reached up, intent on touching his face to break his stare down with his father. "Sasuke-kun-"

She wasn't the only one who flinched when he batted her hand away with unnecessary strength, the resounding _crack_ silencing them all.

"Sasuke," his mother gasped after several moments, shaking hand covering her mouth.

Slowly, Sakura lowered her hand, eyes glued to Sasuke's in pained shock when he looked to her, his own wide in horror. Her hand was throbbing – no, more like burning from the connection and as she turned her gaze on it, she found it to be reddening considerably. What seemed to make her pain ten times worse was everyone's eyes on them – no, it was Itachi's eyes on them. But he wasn't exuding the _I told you so_ vibe. No, it was a different kind of emotion. A muted anger that was barely contained, a terrifying darkness, and somehow, that was so much worse.

"This is your influence," he surprised them all by muttering, voice much colder than before.

When Sakura looked up, she found that Itachi was openly glaring at his father, stunning the older man with the intensity of his anger.

"Itachi-"

"Your toxic ways have been forced on Sasuke and now like Mother, Sakura lives in fear. She is miserable."

As he'd stated, fear stabbed at her heart and Sakura looked to Sasuke desperately. "I'm not miserable-"

But he refused to take notice, shoving away from the table and storming out of the room, ignoring her when she also stood, shouting after him. He didn't look back at her. Didn't tell her to follow him. And her heart felt like it was shattering when she heard the front door slam shut, signalling that he'd left the manor entirely.

"Sakura-" Mikoto tried, voice tinged with sadness and understanding.

"Why would you say something like that?" she demanded angrily, gaze clashing with Itachi's. When he refused to answer, she yelled, "What the hell did you say that for?"

"Everyone is walking on eggshells in this house," he replied, but as simply as he said the words, she could tell that he was concerned. Whether that was for her emotional state or Sasuke's was unclear. She didn't care to find out. "I am stating the obvious-"

"Mind your own damn business," she snapped. Her chest was rising and falling quickly, grip on the table tightening. "You have no idea what the hell you're getting involved in!"

Dark eyes narrowed, ignoring his parents. "Don't I?"

She looked away, swallowing hard to try and smother the building panic in her chest and when she pulled away from the table, she found that her hands were trembling. Attempting to mask the anxiety, she wrung them together, taking pitiful, shallow breaths.

"For once, I agree with Haruno."

_Oh, shut up_, she wanted to scream at the arrogant man. Instead, Sakura kept her back to the family, trying to come up with her next move that wouldn't push Sasuke further away.

A hand came to her shoulder.

"Sakura-chan?"

She looked up to the older woman, tears filling her eyes at the sight of Mikoto's internal agony, her dark eyes shining with her own unshed tears.

"He's not a bad person, Mikoto-san," she tried to reassure her, but the shaking of her voice betrayed her. "He didn't mean it."

Sakura had a feeling that hiding the shaking of her voice wouldn't matter. Even if it hadn't been there, Mikoto wouldn't have been comforted. If anything, her words seemed to cut her deeply, magnifying her pain, making it palpable in the air around them.

"He's stressed. Sasuke-kun made a mistake-"

The sound of Itachi standing cut her off and determinedly, she kept her gaze locked on Mikoto's, ignoring him as he followed Sasuke's example and left.

"H-He…"

"Let us go to the kitchen to calm down," Mikoto said gently, already ushering her towards the kitchen.

Upon entering the room, she tried again, telling her, "He didn't-"

She was silenced by thin arms wrapping around her, the sudden embrace warm and comforting. It was _understanding_ and it had Sakura's tears falling. Mentally, she apologised to Mikoto for surely ruining her lovely blouse as she buried her face in her shoulder, smothering the powerful sob that shook them both.

"Do not," pleaded Mikoto, voice strangled. "Do not make excuses for him."

"He said he wouldn't hurt me again," she whined pitifully into her shoulder.

"He will," she whispered in response, her voice cracking. "Again and again and again until the words hold no meaning anymore, until he no longer looks your way while saying them. Soon enough, there will be no excuses."

No, Sakura refused to believe it. He'd seemed genuinely devastated for being unable to keep his promise to her, his horror burned into her mind, repeating itself.

He truly hadn't meant it.

"I need to find him," Sakura said, pulling away and wiping furiously at her face. "He shouldn't be alone right now."

"Is that really wise?"

"No offence, Mikoto-san, but you don't know him like I do," she told her firmly. "You haven't seen what this does to him."

Before she could leave to start her search, however, Mikoto caught her arm, expression pleading with her to take her words to heart.

"Don't become me, Sakura-chan," she begged. "I love my son dearly and I want nothing more than for him to be happy, but not at the expense of others."

* * *

"I keep hurting you."

Panting, Sakura stood behind her boyfriend, barely resisting from planting her hands on her knees and bending over to try and catch her breath. Running was her favourite pastime, but not when she was desperate to find someone and not when she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. It made it so much harder.

"I _just_ promised I'd never do it again and-"

"So what now?" Sakura demanded breathlessly, doing her utmost to ignore the burning of her lungs as she came to stand in front of him.

Fortunately for her, he hadn't been too far from his home and realising he'd left his car behind, Sakura had decided to chance it and ran blindly, her feet following an old path they used to walk when they were younger and had nothing to do.

Whenever they grew bored while sat around the Uchiha Manor, or whenever he was upset, they'd taken to walking blindly around his luxurious neighbourhood (if one could even call it that, given the humongous distance between each home – each mansion had six acres of land or more as a freaking _garden_). On occasion, they'd not so accidentally strayed onto someone's land, warily staying out of sight until they found somewhere private to hang out. It wasn't anywhere specific; it was literally the first glimpse of privacy that they spotted, so she had had her work cut out for her.

"I don't know."

Finally catching her breath, Sakura crouched before him, expression serious as she forced him to meet her eye and take notice of her. "We're going in circles."

He tried to look away. "I know."

Daringly, despite what had happened earlier, she grabbed his face. "Don't you dare push me away, Uchiha Sasuke."

"He said-"

"That I'm miserable," she finished for him. "What the hell does he know?"

"More than he should."

She refused to be intimidated. "You told him, not me," Sakura lied with surprising ease. "He's going off what you've said-"

"And how you look-"

"That's because we choose to keep our affectionate side private," she told him seriously, eyes narrowing. "Just because we're not all over each other it doesn't mean we're unhappy, does it?"

"…No."

"Nobody is happy one hundred percent of the time," she continued. "Would you rather I faked it? To please everyone else, are we supposed to fake being happy?"

He shook his head.

"I know you didn't mean it," Sakura assured him and slipped out of her crouch, kneeling before him and shuffling closer even though it hurt her knees to do so, the dirt and broken twigs biting into her skin. At the same time, her hands moved, going from holding onto his face to sliding into his hair, keeping their gazes locked. "I don't think you even know what you're doing half the time when you're angry, Sasuke-kun – and no, before you say it, I'm _not_ making excuses for you. I think there really is something wrong."

And, as she'd witnessed in the dining room before he shut them all out and left, that pained horror returned to his features, his eyes shutting mere seconds after tears filled them.

"I'm sorry," he managed to force out, choking on his words. "I'm sorry." Grabbing at her waist, he yanked her forward, burying his face into her chest, his body shaking. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

Her own tears fell at his emotional breakdown, arms wrapping around him comfortingly, securely. "I know."

"I'm sorry," Sasuke told her again, sobbing.

"I know," she whispered brokenly.


	22. Help, I Lost Myself

**Chapter 22**

**Help, I Lost Myself**

* * *

It was disgustingly uncomfortable.

Glancing up from her meal, she smiled to the woman opposite her with false cheeriness, pretending like the door in her mind wasn't rattling demandingly in response to the ache in her chest. Said ache only doubled whenever she looked up and saw how close they were sitting, how she looked to him with those wide, stunningly dark eyes.

So, he brought her. Again.

What did that mean? Did he actually like Kurotsuchi, despite all that he'd said to her? Despite the insinuations of merely using her as a cover up?

"I actually brought my portfolio with me," Kurotsuchi continued, answering Madara's question of what she did for a living. "It's the updated version – including Itachi and Sakura's photoshoot."

Interest piqued, she asked, "Could I take a look at it after? I haven't seen the photographs yet."

"Of course," she replied, smiling.

"You earn a living taking photographs," another source of her discomfort said, voice level but holding a tinge of condescension.

"Yep," Kurotsuchi responded bravely, raising a dark, challenging eyebrow. "Quite a generous living – and I'm just getting started. In a few years, I'll be earning more than quadruple of what I'm on right now."

Madara scoffed.

"I think it's amazing," Sakura said and she ignored the warning glances sent her way from members of the Uchiha family. They all knew how greatly Madara disliked her – not only that, but she _knew_ not to get on his bad side. Kurotsuchi didn't, so she was excused from being rude. "And it was fun modelling for you, Kurotsuchi-san."

"It certainly beats sitting in an office," Itachi added when Kurotsuchi looked to him inquisitively. He continued to eat his meal, seemingly uncaring for the tension suffocating the rest of them.

Gods, she couldn't get a damn read on the guy. Did he actually like her or not? Did he like either of them, or was it one huge mind game for him? A way to get his kicks?

"Your children are ungrateful, Fugaku," muttered Madara disapprovingly.

"I know," came his own muttered reply.

Worriedly, Sakura looked to her boyfriend. He'd been on edge ever since they'd set off back to his home, unable to settle or control his rampaging emotions. For the better half of the day, he'd done his utmost to avoid the rest of his family, too ashamed of himself to face any of them (especially his mother). In fact, their dinner was the first time any of them had seen either of them since he struck her and it didn't surprise her in the least how nobody brought it up, instead brushing it under the rug. After all, it was what the whole of the Uchiha family did to Mikoto whenever Fugaku abused her. Why would she be any different?

"Ungrateful, or wise?" questioned Itachi and he met Madara's gaze unfalteringly. "Does anyone truly enjoy working up to fifteen hours a day, every day?"

That was… She finally looked at Itachi, heart clenching when their gazes met briefly. She'd always been aware of how much he worked, but to work pretty much every second he was awake? It was ridiculous. It'd kill him – the stress would kill him. And how selfish did that make her for forcing him into doing that photoshoot? How much work had he fallen behind on as a result?

"If it is too much for you to handle-"

Itachi smirked. "On the contrary, I find the whole concept dull and unnecessary."

Fugaku's eyes snapped to his. "Itachi-"

"Who wants to waste their life away in an office?" snorted Kurotsuchi and she reached forward for her glass, sipping at her wine. "Get out while you can, I say."

"No-one was asking you."

If she was stunned by the coldness of Madara's tone, she didn't show it, maintaining eye contact while placing down her glass. "I don't need permission to speak my mind."

Sakura swallowed. She wished she had an ounce of the confidence Kurotsuchi possessed. She wanted to be able to stand up against Madara and Fugaku and in some ways, her own damned boyfriend. But for the life of her, she couldn't. No matter how far her leaps in confidence took her, it all vanished when it came down to what really mattered. So what if she could wear skimpier dresses without feeling gross about herself? So what if she could get up on stage and sing and dance like a total idiot? What Sakura wanted, more than anything, was to be able to defend herself.

"Control your woman, Itachi," ordered Madara, his annoyance doubling. "Or are you finally inferior to your baby brother in something?"

Green eyes widened, her hand automatically seeking Sasuke's under the table and gripping it tightly, hoping it would pass on her wishes for him to remain silent. She wanted him to stay out of the argument. Getting involved when his temper was as bad as it was, would only lead to disaster and she didn't want to see him going against someone like Madara. It was terrifying enough when he argued with his father.

Itachi was much calmer than earlier, proven in the way he languidly met his uncle's eye, asking, "Only a weak man finds it necessary to control his partner, or refer to them as nothing more than an object."

She held her breath, eyes immediately going to Madara and the fact that there wasn't any specific emotion on his face did little to ease her already tightly wound nerves. Unknowingly, she gripped a tighter hold of her cutlery and Sasuke's hand, momentarily looking to him, begging of him to stay out of it.

Belatedly, Sakura realised he had referred to Kurotsuchi as his partner and couldn't deny the sinking feeling in her stomach, even though she had no right to feel such a way. After all, she'd told Itachi to move on. She'd basically shoved him straight into Kurotsuchi's arms and despite telling herself she had no right to know (nor should she care), she couldn't help but wonder if he had gone home with her the night before after she'd more or less broken up with him.

The fact that he was home the moment they returned meant little, as not everyone stuck around after having sex – or so she'd heard. Hell, he could have left moments after he'd slept with her, if that was what happened.

Hesitantly, Sakura looked back to Itachi, that sinking feeling in her gut increasing in intensity when she found he had already been looking her way.

"Hardly," argued Fugaku, continuing to eat the meal his wife had slaved over for hours. The food was amazing, there was no denying that, but Sakura found she didn't have the stomach to eat much, if any of it. "You are naïve if you think that way."

"How so?"

"Despite what so many like to believe, men and women are not on equal grounds. They are the inferior sex."

The hand holding hers tensed.

"If believing women are my equal makes me naïve, then I will happily remain naïve," stated Itachi offhandedly, like it didn't matter to him in the slightest. After finishing another mouthful of food, he added, "Women are not our slaves. They deserve and are capable of more than becoming housewives or broodmares."

Surprising her, Sasuke's thumb stroked the back of her knuckles and she released an inaudible sigh, relaxing somewhat. He was fighting for control, staying silent despite having so much to say and for that, she felt so incredibly proud of him, as Sakura knew it wasn't easy.

She only just caught the softening look in Mikoto's eye, the proud flash before it was replaced by cool indifference, refusing to allow Fugaku or Madara see that she agreed with her eldest child.

Just looking at the older woman filled Sakura with dread for multiple reasons. Mainly because she'd forgone the dress that'd been hanging in her room when she entered it earlier, waiting patiently for her to be obedient and put it on. Just the fact that it was a pure white dress had her leaving it there, for as beautiful as it was, it was a colour that stood for purity and as of late, there'd been nothing pure about her.

No, instead, she'd scoured through her wardrobes (both at the Uchiha Manor and at her own home) until she came across something that caused her to pause, contemplating the symbolism behind her choice of outfit. Rather than white, she'd gone with red and rather than go all out against the patriarchy, Sakura had forgone short dresses and plunging necklines. Instead, she'd chosen a jumpsuit, the top half covered in lace, the belt knotted neatly on her waist accentuating the flare of her hips.

Red was the colour of passion. It symbolised danger. To _stop_.

If only she actually had the confidence to back the statement up, rather than relying on symbolism to get her point across.

"You sound ridiculous," laughed Madara.

"I don't know," Kurotsuchi replied with a lilt to her voice, unknowingly making the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stand on end. "There's nothing more attractive than a man who respects you."

"The same could be said about a woman who knows their place."

"You-"

"Would anyone like more wine? Or sake?" asked Mikoto politely, already standing to begin pouring.

Weakly, Sakura held out her own glass, meeting the woman's eye and much to her horror, she saw a reflection of her own fear mirrored there.

"Thank you, Mikoto-san."

"Take note," Madara muttered, watching closely as Mikoto retreated and sat down once more. "While this one still has much to learn, Sasuke appears to have her mostly under control."

She held her breath when Sasuke pulled his hand free of hers, fists already clenched when he moved to grab his cutlery once more to try and distract himself.

Kurotsuchi appeared outraged, gaze snapping to hers, no doubt wondering why the hell she wouldn't say anything in her own defence.

It was meekly that Sakura focused on her wine glass, sipping carefully.

"Although trash, she may finally become useful."

"Trash?" snapped Kurotsuchi, voice going up an octave, ignoring the others.

Her hold on her glass tightened considerably, body tensing with a mixture of fear and anger and by her side, her boyfriend was no different, his dark eyes burning holes into his uncle's head.

"What did you just say?" demanded Sasuke quietly. He didn't seem to notice the appreciative look thrown his way by Kurotsuchi, the woman no doubt glad someone was standing up for her, since she apparently couldn't do it for herself.

"Oh?"

His grip on the cutlery intensified and part of her wondered if Sasuke was going to throw them at his uncle. She hoped his aim was good. "What did you call her?"

The smirk stretching across his lips was lazy and uncaring. "Trash." Ignoring Fugaku's ask of them moving on in the conversation and ignoring Mikoto's fearful expression as she begged Madara to pay her son no mind, he grinned wickedly, asking, "Don't you agree?"

Itachi was on his feet the moment Sasuke stood up, glancing to her thankfully when she also stood and grabbed her boyfriend's arm.

"Don't rise to it, Sasuke," he muttered, coming to stand in front of him. "Please."

But like earlier that day – like always – his anger was getting the best of him and it was quickly growing apparent that the only thing stopping him from lunging at the man was his brother standing in the way.

"He called her _trash_," he snarled. "Sakura's worth more than anyone in this damned family."

Her heart skipped a beat, wide eyes fixed on his back and in her moment of shock, she dropped her hand from his arm, leaving it to hang uselessly by her side.

"Father might be okay letting Madara talk shit about Mother, but like hell I'm going to follow in his footsteps."

Something flashed in Itachi's eyes. "Sasuke-"

"Finally," Madara said and stood to his full height, wiping his hands on a napkin and tossing it carelessly to the table. She held her breath as he made his way around the table, shooting Fugaku a warning glare when he moved to stop him in his approach on his sons. "Are you finally finding a backbone?"

Itachi turned, blocking the way to Sasuke as he stared his uncle down. "Stand down, Madara."

"Are you ordering me around, you brat?"

"Madara," warned Fugaku, also standing.

"Think of it as more of a warning," Itachi spoke calmly and to show Madara that he didn't show him as a threat, he turned, making Sakura's eyes widen fractionally when their gazes met and she saw the anger building. His patience was growing dangerously thin. She could see it so clearly that it scared her. "I will say this once: enough."

But that only seemed to provoke him further. "Are you defending the whore-"

Swiftly – so goddamn swiftly that she barely saw a thing – Itachi caught Sasuke's fist as it flew towards their uncle, their dark eyes clashing and she took a step back in response, wanting nothing more than to be out of that damned house.

"Don't."

"Itachi-"

"You don't want to go up against me," Madara muttered darkly.

She didn't look away from the three men, paying no mind to the others as they stood and moved closer, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Don't call her a whore," he snarled in response, struggling against Itachi's hold.

"Why? Can't you face the truth?" questioned Madara with a smirk that set her on edge, especially when he looked to her. "Can't you see the spectacle she makes of herself, parading around-"

"Enough," warned Itachi, glaring over his shoulder.

_Don't cry._

Weakly, she reached out, fingertips grazing Sasuke's blazer.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"Stay out of this, Haruno," warned Fugaku.

"Please stop," begged Mikoto.

_Stop freaking out_, she begged of herself. _Be strong for him._

"Dressed and acting like a whore at your own party, letting another boy touch her in front of your guests-"

There was no-one to stop Itachi's punch like there had been Sasuke's and she saw the way her boyfriend flinched when Madara was knocked back several steps, his nose immediately busting open. In response to the sudden violence, she squeaked, hand coming to her mouth, eyes wide and behind her, she heard Mikoto gasp in shock, could feel Fugaku's in the air around them, but what got her most was that there was someone staring at her intensely, their gaze boring into her back and Sakura had a strong suspicion that it was Kurotsuchi, although she didn't check.

"I warned you," Itachi muttered, voice low and he straightened, fist unclenching by his side. "Enough."

"Itachi-"

"Stay out of this, Fugaku," ordered Madara as he stood to his full height once more, wiping at his nose. Anger flashed through his eyes, accompanied by something so dark she couldn't even place what it was, as he set his cold gaze on his oldest nephew. "You-"

"Leave him alone," Sasuke snapped suddenly, making her heart clench with fear when he moved to stand beside his brother. "You've made your point."

"You will both come to regret this," Madara warned them in a way that had her spine trickling with dread. "Once the trash has been taken out-"

"Leave."

They were all stunned by her involvement, so much so that Sakura spun on her heel, green eyes wide as she looked to the woman who was finally standing her ground, albeit shakily. Her hands were gripping a hold of the table, dark eyes tight with fear but features otherwise stoic. Her overall body language screamed that she was terrified, but the fact that she was coming to her defence, despite the fact that her husband was glaring at her…

Sakura looked to Madara from over her shoulder, swallowing hard at his expression.

"You heard her," she spoke up, shoving aside her fear. How could she not feel somewhat safe when she had both Sasuke and Itachi standing between them, glaring hatefully at their uncle, refusing to let him so much as meet her eye? "Mikoto-san wants you out of her house."

"This is absurd-" Fugaku began, but much to her absolute surprise, he was no longer allowed to be the one in control, for Madara stripped him of it effortlessly.

"As I already said: you will all come to regret this," he assured them, smirking unnervingly as he moved to walk by them and as he looked down on her, Sasuke stepped to the side, blocking his view, head tilting back ever so slightly since his uncle had the height advantage. "You are a fool for trusting a girl like her, boy."

Warily, as he turned, Sakura looked to Itachi, heart thundering in her chest as she entertained the idea of Madara knowing what happened between them, but he shook his head minutely, telling her without words that it wasn't possible.

But was it? He hadn't even been at Sasuke's party, yet he knew about her karaoke session with Naruto. He knew that he'd spanked her in front of everyone.

It wasn't until Madara stalked out of the room that Sakura stepped around the two brothers until she was standing in front of Itachi, saying to him, "We should probably get some ice for your hand."

"It's not-"

"Don't act tough," she said with a roll of her eyes, bravely grabbing the hand and holding it up between them, even giving it a wave so that others could see the red knuckles (even though it seemed to be more Madara's blood than anything). "It looks sore."

He merely nodded.

"Sasuke-kun, please could you go to one of the bathrooms and grab a first aid kit? There should be some ice wraps in there." Grossly unnecessary, but that hardly mattered. "We'll meet you in the kitchen."

As soon as he nodded and left, she grabbed Itachi's arm, tugging him along behind her.

She pretended not to notice Kurotsuchi's look of realisation.

* * *

"This is unnecessary."

"I know," murmured Sakura, rooting through the too large freezer to find a meagre bag of ice. The closest she got was thrice the size of Itachi's hand, so she instead tore it open and grabbed several cubes, wrapping them in a clean tea towel. "But…"

He was already watching her when she turned and in response, her gaze dropped to the makeshift ice pack. "But?"

"It doesn't matter," she said with a shake of her head and approached him once more, attempting to pass the pack over. "Here, put this on your hand."

What was she even thinking? To put it bluntly: she wasn't. She wasn't thinking whatsoever. Impulse had her overreacting to the punch and claiming his hand needed ice on it just so they could talk.

"How does Ma-"

"I refuse."

Wait, what? He refused to put the icepack on? Refused answer her question of how Madara knew so much?

No. It had nothing to do with what she'd been about to say or the icepack, Sakura realised as she looked up at him from beneath her lashes, heart stuttering at the intense look in his eyes.

She was still mad at him. Unbelievably, heartbreakingly mad at him for what he'd said, knowing how it would upset his brother – her boyfriend, she stressed in her mind. He knew that it would cause a reaction, but Sakura wasn't so foolish as to believe Itachi was incapable of getting caught in the moment. In fact, she knew personally that he often fell prey to it. Why would it be impossible for him to get angry, too? The punch he'd thrown minutes ago was solid proof of that.

Obviously, he cared for her. How deep those feelings went was unclear to her and part of Sakura never wanted to find out, even if that was incredibly selfish of her. No matter how deep or superficial they were, it angered him to see her being struck, especially knowing how badly Sasuke could explode at the best of times.

"I refuse to move on," he reiterated, voice low, wary of someone overhearing. She barely even heard him herself and Sakura bit her lip, averting her eyes to the icepack once more. If she didn't look at him, maybe she'd miss the rest of whatever he would no doubt say?

"Use this," she said with more volume, gingerly taking his wrist, pressing the pack to his knuckles with more care than what was needed.

"Sakura-"

She shook her head, voice also lowering to the same level as his had been. "Don't say things like that when you've brought another woman to eat dinner with your family."

"I-"

"We can't talk about this here," she interrupted him firmly, meeting his gaze again. "But… I _will_ talk to you. Tonight."

Deciding they were too close should anyone enter the kitchen and acutely aware of the fact her boyfriend would be returning at some point, Sakura stepped away, grimacing when Itachi caught her wrist, his hold gentle. It was ridiculous, she told herself, how his touch burned her to the core. Something as simple as holding onto her wrist shouldn't cause such a fire to roar to life within her.

"Where?"

"I'll text you," she said, pulling her wrist free.

There was so much she wanted to tell him, so much she wanted his advice on, but… Could she even do that anymore? Could she confide in him like she used to, or would it be weird due to their feelings for one another? Gods, what was she supposed to do? What was she even doing?

Sasuke already felt awful. He knew she was attracted to Itachi – or had been during the photoshoot. To agree to meet with him behind his back was disgusting, wasn't it? Shit, why had she done it? Why was her traitorous heart pounding away in her chest at the thought of having a moment alone with Itachi?

"This is all I could find," Sasuke was already saying while he opened the door, glaring down at the box. "I don't think it has those ice wraps."

No, she wouldn't have thought it would. They would need to be kept somewhere cold, not in a box kept in the bathroom.

"It should be okay with this," she assured him with a smile. "Doesn't look like it did too much damage. Not even a graze." Looking to Itachi, she added, "Keep that on."

"Understood."

"Why?" demanded Sasuke after a moment of pause and he tossed the first aid box on the marble island, eyebrows mashing together. "Why are you allowed to punch him but I can't?"

Itachi sighed at that, leaning back against the counter she was already stood next to and it had her inwardly grimacing. Was she supposed to move away? Move closer to Sasuke? Try and find some kind of neutral space? Was that even a possibility? Was she overthinking it?

"Madara is not someone you want to get on the wrong side of," he told his brother, turning his gaze to the hand hidden beneath the icepack. "I don't want you to make an enemy of him."

"But you can?" he snapped angrily.

Was his pride bruised? Sakura looked to her boyfriend with a frown, one that only deepened as she realised that yes, it definitely was. He wanted to be the one who came to her defence in such an explosive manner. He wanted to be the one who made a point. Similar to the times before, Sasuke had wanted to make it obvious that Sakura was his, therefore it should be him who defended her.

"I can handle myself-"

"So can I-"

"You're both idiots," Sakura yelled, exploding with her sudden burst of anger, taking them all by surprise. She didn't let her surprise hold her back from saying more, however. "Why the hell does it have to resort to violence? What's wrong with walking the hell away?"

"You're one to talk," Sasuke argued with annoyance, turning his glare on her. "Your fight with-"

"Don't you dare," she muttered warningly and pretended not to notice Itachi's shock. Was he shocked that she was standing up for herself? Was he shocked that Sasuke had turned on her so quickly after being so willing to throw everything away to defend her moments before? It didn't matter. "Don't bring her up to score points, Sasuke-kun."

The glare lessened until it disappeared altogether, like his anger had been snuffed out by her own that was rapidly growing, threatening to overshadow his. "Sakura-"

No. _No_. She was too angry. It was still heart wrenchingly raw what she'd discovered and having him bring Ino and their fight up to try and win himself points in their argument… It rubbed her the wrong way. Whether he meant to or not didn't matter in that moment. All that mattered was that he'd done it, knowing exactly how hurt she was. It was like he was shitting on how hard she was struggling to forgive and forget.

"I need five minutes to myself," she told him seriously, shrugging out of his hold. "Don't follow me."

If he did, she would say something she didn't entirely mean. She would explode and scream and cry and she _couldn't deal with it anymore_.

But the Gods didn't want her to have a break, it seemed, because as soon as she flopped back onto the loungers next to the pool, glaring tearfully at the night sky, another was approaching her with a stance that screamed defensive, making her whimper to herself.

"What the hell are you both playing at?"

Reluctantly, she sat up, facing the older woman as Kurotsuchi came to a stop a few feet from her.

Gods, she didn't want to fight anymore. She wanted everything to go back to being normal. She wanted _one freaking day_ where she wasn't fighting with someone. Lately, it was all she did, like she couldn't catch a break, like no matter what the hell she did or tried to do didn't matter, because it was going to piss someone, somewhere, off.

When she failed to answer, Kurotsuchi lost some of her anger, her brows coming together. "The chemistry between you both… It wasn't fake, was it?"

Was it even possible to fake chemistry? Either the couple in question had it or they didn't.

Slowly, weakly, she shook her head.

"What the hell am I doing here?" she demanded quietly. "Are you both playing me too?"

"No, I-" Words failed her and Sakura frowned, begging herself to stay strong. She couldn't cry. She had to stop crying. "I didn't know Itachi asked you out, I swear."

"Why did he?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "But I told him to move on."

Sceptically, Kurotsuchi looked down on her. "Even if he does, there's still the issue of _you_."

"Me?"

"What's the point in Itachi moving on if you can't?"

"I…"

The older woman took a step back, narrowing her eyes on her and in that moment, Sakura felt tiny. She felt like a bug. Completely insignificant.

"I will send you both your photographs and you'll be paid by the end of the week," she muttered. "But do me a favour and never contact me again."

"Kurotsuchi-san, I'm really sorry."

"Save it," Kurotsuchi snapped, stunning her with the intensity of her anger. "Do you know how humiliating it is to be used by a guy? To think they're genuinely interested in you when in actuality, they're using you as a goddamn cover up?"

So she wasn't the only one to suspect such a thing. Sakura took a step forward, features pleading as she told her, "Please. I really am sorry, Kurotsuchi-san."

The glare lessened somewhat once more and for a second, sincere concern shot through her expression. "Just… Get out while you can. After what I saw tonight, I can see that no matter what path you take, there's never going to be a happy ending in this family for you."

Yes, she knew that already. They both had terrifying streaks of anger, but Itachi's was… It was scarier due to how much it took to push him over the edge and how well he could hide the impending outburst, whereas Sasuke easily exploded over the smallest of things, making him kind of predictable. She was growing used to her boyfriend's bad moods, but Itachi's were still relatively new. It wasn't until recently that she discovered he could get just as violent as her boyfriend. He simply hid it better.

Sighing, she added, "Take care of yourself, Sakura."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah," she said and turned, walking away. "Me too."

* * *

When Sasuke returned her home, Sakura had been pleasantly surprised to find that not only was her car fixed, but her parents were in a much better mood with her. The insurance company had apparently rejected the CCTV footage given to them, but the claim went through due to the car opposite her own providing footage from their dash cam. They won the case and all costs had been covered. There was also an investigating in place at the company she'd worked for.

Sitting back in her seat, she waited, watching as Itachi made his way over to the car. She was picking him up from an alleged run, waiting one house down from the Uchiha Manor (meaning there were roughly four acres of land to run). Once he was in, she was doing a three point turn and leaving the way she came, avoiding his home like it was infected.

It wasn't until they were several miles away that he spoke, saying, "Kurotsuchi-san knows."

"I know."

"Everything?"

"She doesn't know about the kiss." Saying it was a kiss seemed wrong, because they both knew it'd been more than that. Just their feelings alone made it so much more.

Silence. It remained that way until they finally came to a stop outside the park she regularly ran laps around. She chose it due to how far out of the way it was – far enough to cause her mother anxiety whenever she learned how far she'd gone. There were no streetlights there, no houses for at least two miles. They were well and truly alone.

It was both unnerving and thrilling.

Sakura hesitantly turned in her seat after removing her seatbelt, turning off her engine and as the headlights shut off, they were plunged into darkness. They had to wait for their eyes to adjust but after a moment, she decided she didn't want to wait and restarted her engine, leaving the headlights off but switching on her interior light.

"What happened with Yamanaka-san?"

"Go straight for the hardest question," she said with a humourless chuckle.

"Sasuke said he messed up," Itachi informed her, frowning. "Did he…?"

His own brother thought the worst of him, Sakura realised sadly, heart clenching. "No."

"Then what happened-"

"We're not here to talk about that," she told him firmly, demanding the shake of her hands to leave. She wanted the aching of her heart to let up for a second. "We're here to talk about… about _us._"

"I don't want to move on."

"Sasuke-kun knows," was the only thing she could think to reply with.

Shock had his eyes widening fractionally, but it soon shifted to disbelief. "He would have said something-"

"He knows I'm attracted to you," she said, once more frowning. "He said he found out during our dance at the photoshoot."

"Why hasn't he said anything?"

Her answer was simple and filled with exasperation as she said, "Because he's Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke wouldn't bring something up if it meant he would be emotionally vulnerable. Sure, he'd been better at opening up as of late, but she knew how sore of a topic Itachi was to him. All his life, Sasuke had felt inferior to him, always the second best and now, he knew she was attracted to him. And for some impossible reason she just couldn't understand, he was okay with it. Kind of.

Knowing his brother, Itachi faced forward and shut his eyes, releasing a quiet sigh.

"What did Kurotsuchi-san say?"

"Nothing that was uncalled for."

"She told me that no matter what happens, no matter who it's with, there's no happy ending for me with your family."

And it felt like her heart was crumbling when Itachi nodded after a moment, agreeing. His eyes opened once more, but they remained locked with her dashboard. "She's right."

Sasuke's face flashed to the front of her mind, the reminder of how openly he'd wept into her arms and chest, repeatedly telling Sakura how sorry he was. How was she supposed to believe Kurotsuchi's words when it was painfully obvious how desperately Sasuke wished to change?

"What did Sasuke say?"

"That he's okay with me being attracted to you because he understands why," Sakura admitted sadly, also looking away. "He said he needs to be more like you, because you're the kind of man I need."

For a moment or two, Itachi was silent and a faint frown marred his features. Then, he asked quietly, "What happened with Yamanaka-san, Sakura?"

"I already told you-"

He cut her irritated response off, saying, "Think about it. Do those words truly sound like something Sasuke would say?"

She swallowed. "…He's been receiving nudes from her."

"Nudes?"

Of course he didn't know what nudes were. Previously, Itachi had told her he avoided social media at all costs. Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his innocence. "Naked pictures. Pictures of her… touching herself and having sex."

"And he didn't immediately delete them?"

Biting her lip, she looked to him, drinking in his features as she tried to understand where his thoughts were going and why. Part of her already knew and was whispering endless possibilities in her mind, feeding her anxiety and insecurities, but Sakura did all she could to ignore them.

"No," she eventually said. "He wanted the messages as proof that he never instigated anything or gave her any kind of inclination that the attention was wanted."

"Sakura," he began, then stopped himself, like what he was about to say made him uncomfortable. It took several moments (way too long, in her opinion) for him to continue, saying slowly, "You would know the difference if Sasuke was manipulating you, wouldn't you?"

Manipulating her? Sakura's chest gave an uncomfortable squeeze. "Of course," she said too quickly. "Sasuke-kun is… He's too emotional to fake any of his responses."

"I agree with you there. Sasuke is more emotional than he likes others to believe," Itachi told her with a nod, but continued to frown. "However, my brother is also intelligent and would have thought of every outcome."

She'd been too quick in her assumption of Itachi no longer knowing Sasuke. It seemed, despite the separation and lack of contact when he moved away for university, that he still knew his brother well – or, at least, he'd quickly picked up on any outdated information he had.

The night before, Sakura had already warned herself that Sasuke would have considered her discovering the messages and pictures, allowing him to come up with a solid defence. But still, even if he'd gone through with his plan of action, his emotions had been genuine. There were times where he'd slipped up and let said emotions take control.

"No, I trust him," she said after a moment, expression pleading with Itachi to trust Sasuke, too. "Sasuke-kun hates that sort of attention."

"I don't know him like you do," he stated after a pause. "But I like to think I know you, Sakura and you cannot continue under this strain. It's causing you too much pain."

_Stop it_, she mentally begged. _I already know that._

Head falling into her hands when those stupid tears filled her eyes, she hunched over, grateful for her hair shielding her until Itachi brushed it behind her ear, his touch gentle. And it only made her cry harder, because she was trying so goddamn hard to push him away. She had no right to be treated so delicately. Why would he want to comfort her when she'd been so horrible to him?

"You're not happy," he murmured, voice off like he was feeling emotional himself, but she didn't look to find out.

Sakura didn't fight Itachi when he pulled her closer, hand reaching up and switching off the interior light without looking, allowing her more privacy despite already weeping into his shoulder and neck.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you," she cried.

"I knew my words would have an impact on Sasuke, no matter how harsh they would have been for him to hear."

Yes, they had. They'd forced him to see how wrong his actions were. But the question was: how long would that last? When would he next lose his temper?

"I can't do this anymore," she sobbed suddenly, recalling how broken and defeated she'd felt the night before, how lost she was when Sasuke cried to her, how submissive and scared she was of the whole goddamn family. It was like it was all crashing down on her in that moment, choking the life out of her. "Any of it – I can't do it."

The arms around her tightened.

"I don't want you to go away or move on," she cried harder, eyes squeezing shut, no doubt smearing makeup everywhere. In fact, she could feel one of her false lashes peeling already, but that hardly mattered to her. "I don't want to be scared of Sasuke-kun."

"I won't go away or move on," he assured her firmly and she felt him shift, cheek pressing to the side of her head. "I promise."

"E-Even though what we're doing is wrong?"

Much to her horror, he pulled back to look at her and she wondered how the hell he wasn't laughing at her pitifulness as she saw her false eyelash drooping into her line of sight.

"How can it be wrong when you need someone by your side?" asked Itachi softly and carefully, he reached up, moving the eyelash out of her eye and attempting to stick it back on. She couldn't stop her reluctant chuckle when it pinged back off. "You can't bottle it all up, Sakura. It will destroy you mentally."

Gently brushing his hand aside, Sakura pulled both eyelashes off, tossing them to the space beneath her handbrake.

"Why do you stay with him?"

The question startled her, but not half as much as her inability to answer it did, leaving her to stare at Itachi for several moments in contemplation, trying to find out _why_. Why did she put up with so much?

But then she remembered Sasuke's breakdown. She recalled the tortured look that had filled his face when he hurt her. She thought about how it felt when he told her he loved her and the passion in his kiss.

Could she really outweigh the bad with the good, though?

"He needs me," she whispered.

His frown returned. "What do you need?"

Stability. Safety. To feel appreciated. She needed a relationship where both parties were on equal grounds. She needed to feel secure and like she had nothing to be afraid of, because the person she was with would never hurt her. She needed to feel loved without it coming after something major.

She needed Sasuke to be…

Her gaze dropped when Itachi leaned forward, the sudden proximity causing an ache in her chest.

"What do you want, Sakura?" he asked quietly.

_You_, she was frightened to admit. _I want you._

"I'm confused," she confessed and shut her eyes tightly. "I have feelings for you both."

"I know."

She looked to him helplessly, demanding, "And you're okay with that? With this?"

The faint smile he offered to her was equally helpless, his eyes saddening. "Would it make you happier?"

No. That wasn't fair. He was being too damn selfless, pushing aside what he wanted or what he needed for the sake of trying to give her an ounce of happiness.

"You're his brother."

"My brother is continuously tearing you down and making you feel worthless."

She tried to put more distance between them, pulling back, but Itachi held onto her, refusing to let her shut him out again.

Shakily, she held onto his arms.

"Let me try," he quietly pleaded, and she could only stare at the look in his eyes, the promise stunning her. And then he reached up, tenderly wiping away her tears and making Sakura wonder how badly her makeup had run, especially when she caught sight of his fingers, not surprised in the least to find her mascara was coating them. "I can make you happy, Sakura."

Her grip on him tightened and it felt like her heartrate was skyrocketing, leaving her lightheaded.

But…

Reluctantly, she shut her eyes, breaking the spell he had on her and dropping her head forward to his chest, releasing a deep sigh.

"Sasuke-kun needs me," she whispered and as the words left her lips, she felt like the darkness of the night was swallowing her whole, leaving her lonely and cold. "We can't do this to him."

"It doesn't have to be sexually that I'm here," he told her just as softly, the feeling of his whispered words causing her to shiver delicately and she wondered how the hell he could even say that, when the smallest of touches set her whole body on fire. She was too responsive to him for them to avoid anything like that. It felt physically impossible. "Whenever you need someone to talk to, whenever you need comforting-"

"Even if it's not sexually, it's still cheating. I'll be emotionally cheating on him."

"I am here regardless," Itachi said after a pause, his arms coming around her, embracing her. "Whenever you need me, I will be here."


	23. Can You Feel This?

**Chapter 23**

**Can You Feel This?**

* * *

"_I can make you happy."_

It was such a bold statement, wasn't it?

What did it even mean to be happy? Originally, she'd believed it to be attention and pretty gifts and always being with the person she loved, but… She had all that and she certainly wasn't happy.

Gods, she'd been an idiot thinking she knew all there was to know about love, hadn't she? While she loved Sasuke with all her heart, she wasn't happy with him and the guilt that realisation evoked was suffocating her. It weighed her down tremendously. But what was she supposed to do? Leave him when he needed her most? When he was struggling?

Sitting back in her seat, Sakura stared out at the darkness, no longer bothering to wipe away her tears. They fell too fast, dripping off her chin and splashing onto her thighs.

Sasuke was spiralling out of control, his flailing limbs threatening to take her down with him and as much as Sakura _knew_ she should duck or dodge said limbs, she just… couldn't. How could she leave him to face such a scary downfall alone?

Her clammy hands squeezed the steering wheel, eyes screwing shut as her forehead dropped to the wheel, as she sucked in a shuddering breath.

Emotionally, perhaps even mentally, the relationship was destroying her – no, the Uchiha family as a whole was destroying her. But for some reason that Sakura couldn't even begin to comprehend, she couldn't leave. The thought of walking away was far scarier than anything Sasuke could potentially do to her, because who was she without him?

Gods, she was so fucking stupid and weak.

* * *

"Sakura?"

Cautiously, she stole a glance at her reflection and quickly grabbed her concealer, working on covering the redness under her eyes. It wasn't until it was completely covered that she responded, telling her mother it was safe to enter.

The blonde was reasonably wary, hesitating in the doorway, her frown causing the fine wrinkles on her features to deepen.

"You came in awfully late last night," she commented lightly. It was as though she was trying to make it clear she wouldn't be scolding her – or was perhaps luring her into a false sense of security for the worst scolding she'd ever faced. It was hard to tell after the hellish night of crying she'd experienced. "Where were you?"

Unable to answer, she looked back to her reflection and applied her makeup with more care than necessary. Usually she put the concealer on last, but having her mother see the tell-tale signs of her crying wasn't an option. She'd only pry and make her disapproval known. Sakura wasn't sure if she could handle that.

"Sakura?"

She sighed irritably and tossed her foundation brush back onto the dressing table. "I was driving." Noticing her hesitating once more, Sakura turned on her stool, glaring. "Spit it out already. If you're gonna accuse me of something, just spit it out."

It was obvious her mother was taken aback by the harsh words. Her wide green eyes were glued to hers before they took in the rest of her features, her frown from moments before returning. "You've been crying again."

"What do you want?" she suddenly demanded and stood up, stomping over to her wardrobe.

There was a troubled sigh, but she could tell Mebuki wasn't going to push the matter further. "You have a visitor."

Worry gripped at her heart and she tried her hardest not to let it show. "Sasuke-kun?"

"No," her mother said, lowering her voice considerably. "His brother – Itachi-san."

Shit. Why? Stealing a glance over her shoulder, she found Mebuki watching her suspiciously and it had her insides turning to ice. "What?" she demanded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why are you so agitated?" she countered with obvious frustration. "I came to check on you and you're yelling at me."

Why, indeed? Honestly, Sakura wasn't even sure. She couldn't understand _why_ she felt so defensive, or why it tore her up inside knowing her mother was suspicious of her – even just asking where she'd been, how she was feeling made her want to break down. Was that normal? Was it possible that it was simply teenage hormones?

Whatever it was wasn't a concern. Not when she had one of many causes of her heartache waiting for her downstairs.

Sighing, she turned to her wardrobe once more, grabbing a short summer dress since the weather was so fine. Her previous decision of replacing all childish clothing was one she continued to delight in herself with, grateful that she always had a new outfit that looked good.

"Sakura, be careful–"

She breathed in deeply, willing herself to stay calm. "I need to get changed."

"Let me finish," her mother snapped and even though Sakura could feel her anger exploding to new heights, she tried her utmost to remain silent. "You're coming home late, you're fighting with your friends and Sasuke-kun, you quit your job, you're covering up the fact that you're upset!" She looked down at the dress in her hands, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'm your mother, Sakura. I can see you're in pain. Why won't you talk to me?"

Because she couldn't. Because if she did, everything between her and Sasuke would disappear forever. Because if she told her mother what had happened, she would look at her differently. Because if she opened her mouth, she would become a victim. Because if she did, she ran the risk of losing _them_.

There were so many reasons why she couldn't talk to her anymore.

"You're making something out of nothing. Get out, Mom."

But she wouldn't. She couldn't leave it alone. "And now you're hanging around his older brother – surely you can see that doesn't look good, Sakura? Is Sasuke-kun okay with–"

"_Get out_," she screamed without restraint, whirling around to glare at her. It was clear she'd frightened her and part of her felt inexplicable guilt over it, but Sakura couldn't stand to hear any more. "Get out!"

"_Oi, what's going on_–_"_

"Stay out of this, Kizashi," snapped Mebuki as she stuck her head out of the door, but there was no denying the shake in her voice. When her mother looked back to her, Sakura felt herself threatening to crumble all over again like the night before. She felt her chest heaving, fists clenching and ruining her beautiful dress as it creased. "You–"

"I don't want to talk about it," she told her, trying and failing to keep her voice lowered. "It has nothing to do with you."

"I'm your mother," came Mebuki's breathless rebuttal, eyes wide. "How the hell can you stand there like that and say it has nothing to do with me?"

Not easily, that was for sure. She felt like she was overheating, like her body was working so damn hard to stay composed that it was sending her into overdrive.

"Because it doesn't," she was screaming again without her consent. It seemed to be her natural reaction to being accused of whatever the hell was going through Mebuki's mind. Or was it her reaction in general? "Just leave me alone, damn it!"

She couldn't stand to be in there anymore. She couldn't be stuck in that room with her mother looming over her, demanding answers that _she couldn't give._ Briefly, she entertained the thought of flinging herself out of the opened window she caught sight of behind Mebuki, but quickly scratched it out. Not only was it way overdramatic, but it would leave her banged up and in a world of pain. It simply wasn't worth it.

"Not until you answer me!"

Sakura took a step back when her mother walked further into the room, the door that'd been left open calling to her like a siren, telling her to disregard the consequences and run for it. If she did, she would be free of the overwhelming weight on her chest, she would be able to _breathe_.

And even though she was still wearing her pyjamas, even though she would look insane, Sakura followed the siren's call and rushed for the door. She brushed by her mother without a second thought, bounding down the stairs and nearly knocking both Itachi and her father straight off their feet.

"Sakura–"

She barrelled out of the door, refraining from collapsing against his car as she tried to collect herself, ignoring the nosy neighbours who peered out of their windows curiously, no doubt having heard the argument. Gulping deep breaths of air, Sakura groaned, unable to stop herself from placing her hands on the car and hunching over.

"Sakura."

Gods, why did his voice have to relax her so much? Why did it make her feel like everything would be okay when she knew deep in her heart that it wouldn't be? How the hell was he able to get through to her when she felt like she was lost in her own goddamn chaotic mind?

"Get me out of here." Sakura looked over at him with teary eyes, inwardly apologising for no doubt mucking up his Bentley. "Please, Itachi."

His only response was to unlock the car and open the door for her, sparing a glance over his shoulder at her home. There were no parents standing in the doorway like her heart hoped there would be. No twitching curtains or shadows that told her they were secretly watching. There was no-one.

She was alone.

"All I'm doing lately is crying," Sakura mumbled into her hands.

They were already on the road when Itachi glanced down at her, ordering softly, "Put your seatbelt on."

She ignored him, instead asking, "Why did you come?"

Sighing rather than replying to her question, Itachi pulled over when they were barely even a quarter of a mile away from her house. She flinched when he leaned over her suddenly and he froze, quietly murmuring an apology while he continued buckling her in. Briefly, their eyes met and she couldn't help but frown in response to the sadness in his gaze as he lowered it, focusing on his hands.

"I wanted to check on you after last night," he told her and glanced up again. "I'm concerned about you."

Rightly so, she couldn't help but inwardly groan. There she was, close to yet another freaking breakdown in his car, wearing her pyjamas, makeup only half done, hair yet to be styled–

Itachi still didn't move and she swallowed, unable to look away. The close proximity left her questioning whether she was lightheaded from the previous difficulty breathing, or because of him.

All she could think about was their kiss and the way he'd held her. She recalled how safe and at peace she'd felt in his arms, always so relaxed. The way he protected not only her, but Sasuke, too. Instead of allowing his brother to go against Madara, he shouldered the burden for him, putting himself at risk to keep Sasuke safe while defending her. And even though she'd undoubtedly hurt him by telling him to move on, Itachi remained by her side. He continued to stand by her, supporting her, comforting her. _Being there._

Her hand came up and clutched at his shirt to keep him close, eyes shutting when their foreheads came together.

"Sakura…"

No, she wasn't being fair.

Just as her hand released him, Itachi caught it. "Talk to me."

There was nothing she could say that he hadn't already heard or guessed at for himself.

"Please."

Her brows puckered and she still couldn't look at him. "I feel like I've lost myself."

But that felt like the wrong thing to say, because she didn't know who she was prior to the mess, either. She'd always been Uchiha Sasuke's girlfriend, always hung off his arm, always put his needs above all else. Who was she if not that person? Who was she without Sasuke?

He sighed at that and when Sakura opened her eyes, she saw him watching her with an air of melancholy.

But then he offered her a smile – albeit, a tired one. "Would you care to accompany me for a drive? Until you are feeling more like yourself?"

"I can't. Sasuke-kun is–"

"He knows I am here," he assured her, catching the lone tear as it fell. Again, he gave her a faint smile, gesturing to the seat behind them. "Kurotsuchi-san posted the photographs this morning."

They'd arrived? Instead of feeling excited, more guilt landed on her shoulders and she fell back into the seat pitifully.

"She's a good person."

Itachi nodded, no longer able to meet her eye. "I know."

"She didn't deserve any of that."

"I know."

Sighing, she reached for her pocket, only to whine to herself when she felt the reminder of being in her pyjamas. In her rush to leave the suffocating place that was once her family home, she'd left behind her phone. She truly was hopeless.

But maybe leaving behind her phone was a good thing? For a start, there would be no social media. No being bombarded with phone calls or texts demanding to know where she was. Without her phone, she was off the grid. She was able to relax. As naked as she felt without having it in her hands, even as something to merely fidget with during awkward conversations, she would be free – if only for a few hours.

"Let's do it."

He looked back to her, frowning as he sat back in his seat. "Go for a drive?"

Sakura nodded and smiled to him. "I need to get away for a few hours."

Understanding flashed through his eyes, the realisation that Itachi also needed a break from reality damn near crushing her. It reminded her of the night before, when he'd admitted to how many hours he worked, how little sleep he got. The workload was sickening.

"As long as I don't have to get out of the car," she added, chuckling.

He smirked at that, looking to her out of the corner of his eye when he began driving once more, their destination unknown. "Perhaps that would be best. At the very least for your reputation's sake."

There was no stopping her blush as she glanced at the pattern on her shorts, the carrot-eating, toothily smiling bunnies only making it deepen. When she'd updated her wardrobe, she'd thought it unnecessary to do the same for her pyjamas. Nobody ever saw them other than her parents, as Mikoto had bought her _appropriate_ pyjamas for when she stayed over there.

"Dad bought them for me for Christmas," she admitted without needing to and she noticed his smirk widening at her nervousness. "I think it's his way of trying to keep me as his little girl."

"He dotes on you," came his gentle reply, eyes softening. "I noticed it during Sasuke's party."

Yeah, she had too. Whereas her mother had been unbelievably angry at her fight with Ino, her father had been more upset. Of course, he'd been angry at how it all escalated and how she didn't restrain herself and instead allowed the heat of the moment to get the best of her, lowering herself to Ino's level, _but_… Kizashi had been more worried for her, both at the thought of being harmed and losing a precious friend. At the time, however, all Sakura had seen was anger and disappointment, her mother's emotions overshadowing her father's.

Sakura relaxed further into her seat when they turned onto the back roads, knowing where they were and that nobody would see her any time soon, unless they turned right at the end of the road. If they did, they would be near Naruto's place.

They turned left.

Sitting in silence with Itachi was so different to what it was like with Sasuke. She didn't feel an overwhelming need to fill it. It was so peaceful and natural. Simultaneously, however, it felt as though she had a world of topics to discuss with him, whereas with Sasuke, she often struggled to find something other than working out or Naruto's latest antics to talk about.

Looking to him, she couldn't help but to admire his profile. He was relaxed, one-handing the steering wheel even when they flew over bumps, his speed leaving them suspended for several seconds at a time, leaving her heart racing and stomach churning with the thrill of it all. Part of her worried for the state of his precious car, but she knew that it wasn't an issue for him or his family to have it repaired – or replace it altogether.

She supposed that was one of many things she loved about Sasuke. Whereas the rest of his family splurged money on unnecessary items, he valued what he had. He worked tirelessly on his car to ensure it reached its maximum life expectancy, turning down offers of better models or makes. He prided himself on learning important life skills, even if said life skills meant getting his hands dirty. Although his attitude said differently at times, he wasn't afraid to admit he was no better than anyone else. Despite his high-class elite status, he saw himself as on the same wavelength as everyone else.

After spotting a few warning signs about the presence of animals, Itachi slowed considerably.

"Have you spoken with Yamanaka-san at all?"

"Other than to yell at her for sending those pictures to Sasuke-kun, no. But…" She grimaced. "I kind of agreed to a stupid, barbaric plan of making her go cold turkey."

He glanced her way, stating, not asking, "You are aware of the risks."

"Yeah," she said, sighing. "I agreed in the heat of the moment and now I'm regretting it."

"Can't you back out?"

"Shikamaru's already contacted Shisui, who's contacted your cousin–"

"Shisui is involved?" he questioned with obvious surprise. Then, he added, "I am guessing the cousin is Obito, considering he is married to a doctor." When Sakura nodded and sighed again, Itachi copied her. "While it was an impulsive decision on your part, I feel more confident in the plan due to Shisui's and Rin-san's involvement. No harm will come to Yamanaka-san, Sakura."

She hoped so. The thought of the agonising pain – both physical and mental – Ino was going to go through was enough to make her cringe, because despite everything that had happened between them, she didn't want to hurt her best friend.

"Will you…" Sakura's sentence trailed off and she frowned, biting on her lower lip. Asking something so big of Itachi would be as dangerous as playing with fire, but Sasuke's harsh reaction told her that he was not the person she needed by her side for the duration of the plan. "Will you be there?"

It seemed he had similar thoughts, because Itachi asked, "Of course, but is that a wise choice?"

No. It definitely wasn't. However, Itachi was level-headed and it took a hell of a lot more to evoke an angered response from him than it did Sasuke. "As long as you don't go throwing punches when she calls me names," Sakura said with a smirk.

But Itachi didn't laugh at her words. They made him frown. "I'm sorry for what Madara said about you. It is unforgivable."

Saying she was used to his harsh attitude wouldn't help matters. It would only dampen his mood further. However, brushing the whole thing off wouldn't help either. She knew that they had to talk about what happened – she'd even tried the night before, though was soon overwhelmed by her emotions.

"He's not wrong, is he?" Before Itachi could scold her for talking so badly about herself, she cut him off, shrugging helplessly. "I'm basically cheating on Sasuke-kun with his older brother. He shouldn't trust me."

They were deep into the forest now and Sakura knew from their surroundings that they were on Konoha's border. While they weren't on any highways, it seemed they'd taken a different route to leave their hometown and it equally excited as it did worry her. Part of her wished Itachi never stopped driving. She wanted him to keep going and going and going until they were somewhere where nobody knew of them, where their friends and families had no hopes of reaching them. They would be free.

"Sakura–"

"Everything is such a mess," she told him without restraint, leaning forward in her seat to try and catch his eye. "But even though I know it's going to hurt him, even though I know it's wrong and feel like the worst person in the world, I can't help it. I…"

When she trailed off, Itachi finally looked to her. "You…?"

Wanted him so badly she felt an ache in her bones. Wanted to push him away before things went too far. Wanted to end things with Sasuke. Wanted to make things work with Sasuke. Wanted to walk away from it all without a backwards glance.

But could she really admit to all of that?

"I think I need to stretch my legs."

As always, she was too cowardly.

It was without a word that Itachi pulled over and equally as silently, Sakura got out, grateful that she'd always worn slippers around the house. They obviously weren't as protective as normal shoes, but at least her feet wouldn't get dirty. Also, fortunately for her, it was warm despite their being so deep into the forest.

At the sound of Itachi's door shutting, she folded her arms over her chest and turned, tiredly demanding, "What are we doing, Itachi?"

"I don't know."

He didn't close the distance between them like she longed him to and for that, she was grateful. Having Uchiha Itachi so close to her was risky, for it always caused her mind to wander off into dangerous territory, making her foolishly believe that what they were doing was okay – no, not even that. It stripped her of all rational thought, leaving her to simply act on the emotions he stirred within her.

"We shouldn't be friends, but…" She swept a hand through her hair out of frustration, sighing. "I can't not have you in my life. You mean too much to me."

Itachi leaned back on the hood of his car, silently telling her that her earlier paranoia of dirtying it was ridiculous. Clearly it wasn't an issue of his, like it was his brother's.

"What do you want?"

Unlike last night, she answered honestly, stressing, "_You_. I want _you_."

His hands came to the car at his sides, body language peaceful and relaxed. "I will be whatever you need me to be, Sakura."

"But not what I want you to be," came her weary whisper.

"Which is?"

She shook her head, the traitorous wants of her heart enough to make her eyes sting, but she wouldn't cry. Not again. She couldn't keep going around in circles, always succumbing to her emotions and allowing them to consume her. She had to toughen up, had to harden herself.

"Sakura?"

It seemed Itachi hadn't expected her to close the distance between them, her expression no doubt showing how badly she wished she could close it completely, to let the flames that never failed to ignite to grow, to reach their full potential and more.

"No matter what happens between Sasuke-kun and I, we can never be together," she told him sadly. Reaching out, her fingertips grazed his chest, wondering if that was all they would ever have. Fleeting touches and a bordering on painful longing. "Even if it's ten – even twenty – years down the line, even when we're old and grey… This can't happen."

"Shouldn't." Sakura looked up in confusion, heart giving a nervous stutter when he closed his hand around hers, holding it delicately. "This shouldn't happen, but it doesn't mean it can't."

No, it couldn't happen. To allow it to happen – to _encourage_ it – would break Sasuke, throwing him who knows how far into the deep end. He would be lost to them, his anger reaching new heights and destroying them all.

He appeared just as tired as she felt, she noticed suddenly. With her free hand, Sakura reached up, his responding sigh when she cupped his cheek, stroking beneath his eye with her thumb, making her ache for him. How much weight rested on his shoulders? How much had Itachi given up for his family?

His experience in university was not that of an ordinary student – he'd said as much when he first returned home. Rather than enjoying himself and the newfound freedom that came with studying away from home, he'd been holed away either in his bedroom or the library most of the time, doing the seemingly impossible and studying multiple degrees at a time. His life now wasn't all that different.

She tried to ignore it, but even the simple fact that he was controlling himself, refraining from pushing any boundaries, caused that flame within her to grow. Even though there was no skin-to-skin contact, her skin still tingled in a maddening way when he brushed her hair behind her ear, that hand soon falling to her hip.

The attraction between them, the magnetic pull, was growing stronger with each of their interactions, warning Sakura that soon enough, they wouldn't be able to stop themselves. Things were going to escalate and neither of them would put a stop to it. They would be too lost in the moment, completely consumed by just the mere thought of the euphoria that would be awaiting them at the end of it all.

Part of her hoped that it would disappointing, if it did happen. So disappointing that they would never so much as glance in that direction again.

But she knew it wouldn't be.

Sakura could tell just by the ease of his hands slipping to the small of her back, fingers bordering on dangerous territory, that it would be electric. Just the smallest, seemingly innocent of touches set her body alight and left her _needing_ more.

He pulled her closer and she didn't stop him.

Previously, she would have shut her eyes to avoid acknowledging (during the moment) how badly they were both betraying Sasuke. But instead, her eyes remained open and locked with Itachi's, the need in his gaze making her throat grow dry.

She was acutely aware of the fact that beneath her pyjamas, she was not wearing any underwear. It was impossible considering the fact her hardened nipples brushed against his chest with every breath they took – and they took so many, for their breathing was growing shallow.

"Sakura…"

The hand on his cheek moved to his mouth, silencing him. "I never noticed you needed this just as much as I do. You–"

Along with her words, Sakura's breath was stolen from her when Itachi reached down and lifted her and she lost all coherent thoughts as she was settled on the hood of his car, their bodies fitting together so well, so naturally, that it hurt.

"Don't concern yourself with my problems," he murmured softly, nose and lips skimming along her throat and she tipped her head back, eyes shutting. "They do not matter."

Yes, they did, she wanted to argue. But she couldn't. Not when he finally placed a single, hot kiss to her throat, followed by another, then another as he travelled upwards. The feeling of his tongue soon tracing the path he'd made with his kisses had her thighs clenching around his hips and gasping.

"What matters-" he added, pausing to leave a kiss on her jaw. "-is this feeling."

Her body was practically vibrating when his lips pressed to the corner of her mouth, his hand coming to the back of her head, cradling it.

"And how we feel for each other right now, in this moment."

She held back her groan of need when he kissed the other corner, pulling back to smile knowingly at her.

"Wouldn't you agree, _Sakura?_"

But as always, they were interrupted, the sounds of music growing steadily louder causing them to separate quickly. Itachi ushered her into the car, pausing once he'd shut the door to watch as the other car came into view. Via the mirrors, Sakura watched, her eyes narrowing when it slowed to a crawl, the window opening.

"Car trouble?" the man asked, music being shut off.

"No, just an awful bout of travel sickness," Itachi lied with unsettling ease and Sakura's cheeks burned when the stranger stole a look into the car, her head ducking to avoid his morbid gaze. "Thank you for stopping, though."

Keeping her hair shielding the right side of her face, she glanced around the other side of the car, the sight of the forest surrounding them beautiful as it basked in its mystery. Everything blended in wonderfully, not once piece of it standing out for even the briefest of seconds. Gods, what she wouldn't give for such simplicity.

It wasn't until the car was well and truly out of sight, its booming music resuming and fading away, that Itachi returned to his seat, sparing her a single glance once he was sat down. Then, he reached behind them, taking the manila folder and holding it out for her, but Sakura found herself unable to accept it, her suddenly tight chest telling her she didn't deserve to see the photographs. A darker part of her even hoped Kurotsuchi had sabotaged them somehow in a moment of blind rage and pettiness.

"Have you looked at them yet?" she asked warily.

He shook his head. "I wanted to wait for you."

Sakura wished she had something to fidget with while Itachi set upon the task of opening the folder, the A4 sized photographs slipping out effortlessly into his awaiting hand. They were face-down, the plain white backs glossy.

Taking a deep breath, she readied herself for some kind of cruel slur to be scrawled over her face, or for there to be a horrific edit, making her seem uglier–

Her breath caught when Itachi flipped the stack, the first photograph causing that tightness in her chest to increase.

She'd done a marvellous job capturing the moment they'd first laid eyes on one another in their wedding costumes – and now that Sakura was openly admitting her feelings for Itachi, she could see them so clearly written all over her features _and his_.

"W-We need to…" Her hands came together, the force of them wringing causing a few stings on her fingers. "Sasuke-kun can't see those ones."

Nodding in agreement, Itachi placed them on the backseat before showing her the next few, which were of her walk down the aisle and close ups of their features and her bouquet. Deeming those safe to share, they were returned safely to the folder.

The next one was trickier, however. Sakura couldn't decide whether it was okay for Sasuke to see it. They were standing at the altar together, hands joined, eyes locked and smiling lovingly. Would it be possible to lie about it? They couldn't hide every photograph, could they?

The editing was flawless, truly bringing to life the fairy-tale wedding Kurotsuchi had longed to create, but it was her camera angles and directions that really captured the moments.

Sakura's breathing caught at the photograph of their near first kiss, unable to look away from how right it appeared. It seemed so natural, like they didn't have to fake a single second of their time together. Intimacy _screamed_ at them from the way she'd gently grabbed the nape of his neck, their lips tantalisingly close, eyes shut but in no way hiding their longing.

Without needing her to say it, Itachi placed it on the backseat.

The next few were carefully selected and Sakura recalled how torn and upset she'd been by their near-kiss, leading Kurotsuchi to grow frustrated with them. Once they were past the awkward, clearly posed photographs, however, they plunged headfirst into more tension-filled images, the sight of their bodies so close together as they danced on the pier, their gazes never leaving the other's, reminding Sakura of how Sasuke had witnessed that dance. It made her see _why_ it'd hurt him so badly and…

Gods, it was so obvious they were into each other. Or was she merely thinking such a thing because she was now aware of the attraction?

There was no denying that they were beautiful photographs and yes, she certainly felt confident in her appearance seeing it captured in such flattering pictures, but Sakura couldn't enjoy the end results. What she wanted to do was look away, to pretend like none of it ever happened. But her heart begged of her to keep looking, occasionally causing her to murmur a simple "no" whenever she thought they looked too close or too intimate.

It was hard to believe she'd been so excited to see them when all Sakura felt in that moment in time was heartache.

That weekend had changed so much. While their feelings had probably developed earlier, it wasn't until then that they had to face the reality of their situation, the constant close proximity required of them forcing them to see their true feelings. Since then, everything had been such a mess and all the problems with Sasuke that'd once seemed so minuscule were blown up to epic proportions, never allowing her to enjoy even the simplest of moments with him without being racked with nerves.

Before they'd even finished the wedding photo shoot, Sakura put her hand over the collection of pictures, eyes going to the window.

"Just… Decide for yourself which ones we shouldn't share."

There was a frown in his voice when he asked, "You don't like them?"

She loved them. She loved how happy and natural and peaceful they looked together, how it seemed completely _real_. That was why she couldn't look at them, because she yearned for it to be real. How in the hell was that fair on Sasuke?

"You're shaking, Sakura," Itachi said more seriously, tossing the photographs carelessly onto the backseat. Careful hands took hers, closing over them to try and still the trembling. It didn't cease for a second. "Look at me, please."

Shaking her head, she bit down on her lip, trying and failing to smother her escalating panic.

Anger towards herself shot through Sakura when she flinched at the feeling of one of his hands moving to tilt her face in his direction. Reluctantly, she looked to him, only half-focused on his eyes as he spoke calmly with her, his own gaze quickly taking in her rapid breathing and widened eyes, narrowing when the shaking increased. It got to a stage where she couldn't even hear him anymore. Everything was drowned out by a shrill sound that felt as though it bounced between ears, knocking her off balance even though she was sat down. It was a nauseating feeling. Totally unsettling and terrifying.

Her body jerked forward when Itachi yanked on her hand, bringing it to his chest, over his heart, the feeling of the purposely steady rise and fall holding her attention for a quick moment. But perhaps noticing it wasn't working, she soon felt his arms coming around her, holding her tightly to him, lips pressing to her shoulder comfortingly. It was only then that she noticed she was shaking all over, her world only stabilising because of his embrace.

"_Wherever you are, I always make you smile."_

The words were sung softly in her ear, though didn't register immediately as Sakura remained lost in her own senses, everything seeming so dull in terms of the world around her, but so devastatingly loud when it came to her own body. It was like she could hear her blood pumping through her veins, the shrill ringing, the fast pace of her heart, the quick, wheezing breaths drowning Itachi out.

"_Wherever you are, I'm always by your side."_

A hand came to her head, bringing it down over his heart, his arms cradling her and continuing to hold her still and Sakura finally managed to squeeze her impossibly wide eyes shut, releasing what felt like the first trembling breath in the longest time.

"_Wherever you are, I never make you cry. Wherever you are, I never say goodbye. Whatever you say, you're always on my mind. I promise you 'forever' right now…"_

He was singing to her, she realised belatedly, only just recognising the words. It was the song he'd sung to her during their dance at the wedding photo shoot and while she was certain it would send her careening back to the cause of her stress, it didn't. Somehow, Itachi kept her grounded, her attention slowly being diverted to the measured strokes of her hair, to the careful breaths he took.

"_To us, the day we met is the day we should commemorate the most. Then, this day called 'today' is the day we should commemorate the second most."_

Presumably sensing that she was gaining a hint of composure, Itachi stopped singing though didn't release her or loosen his hold in the slightest, saying quietly, "I'm here."

Instantly, she noticed that it wasn't "it's okay" or "are you okay" or anything along those lines. No, he told her that he was there. To talk when she was ready, to share what the hell had just happened when she felt up to it – to not talk at all, if that was what she needed or preferred.

So, for the longest time, Sakura stayed there in his comforting embrace. It wasn't until her eyes began to droop, body slumping against his, that she forced herself to retreat from his warmth, tiredly meeting his concerned eyes.

He reached up, wiping beneath her eyes tenderly.

"You're exhausted," murmured Itachi.

She could only nod.

He sighed and asked, "Would you like me to drive you home?"

Her head shook minutely.

"Do you feel up to staying with us?" he questioned with vague worry and wariness. When she glanced to him tiredly, she saw that he was frowning. "With my parents and–"

"Yeah," croaked Sakura, cutting him off from saying his name.

Throughout the drive back into Konoha, to the hell that was Uchiha Manor, she felt his gaze continuously roam her features, but it didn't bother her. It couldn't. Not when she repeatedly dozed off, shortly being woken by Itachi.

He was already at her door, confusing her when he held out the bathrobe she knew was from her bedroom at his home. But instead of questioning him (because at that point, she was _wiped out_ and desperately felt like she needed to sleep), she allowed him to help her into the robe.

"Father is away on business with Madara," she just barely heard him say.

"Itachi? What's wrong with Sakura-chan?"

"Forgive me, Mother, but I will speak with you once I have taken Sakura to her room."

"What happened?"

The new voice caused her to stop in her tracks and the hands on her tensed in response, like Itachi wanted nothing more than force her to continue moving, to keep her away from _him_.

"Sakura-chan?"

Naruto.

It was Naruto.

Features scrunching up, the second she met his startled blue eyes, she felt herself crumbling and was so extremely grateful when he immediately came rushing to her, wrapping her up in his arms and holding her close.

"What are you doing in your pyjamas?" he questioned her, chuckling without any real humour. She felt him ushering her towards the stairs, hands lingering on her to make sure she didn't fall. "You're not cracking up, are you?"

Yes. She was. Spectacularly, too.

"C'mon," Naruto went on to say. "Mikoto-oba said she'll bring you some tea."

They were soon in her bedroom and Sakura felt relief overwhelm her when she lowered herself to her bed, head hitting the pillow with a thud. She felt more than saw Naruto sitting himself at the edge of the bed, probably wary of overcrowding her for the first time ever.

"Were the pictures bad, or something?" he asked unsurely. It seemed he was trying to tread carefully, trying to figure out what subjects were safest to discuss. "Itachi told Sasuke they arrived earlier and he wanted to show them to you."

"Everything's such a mess," she whispered brokenly.

"What do you mean, everything's a mess?" came his worried response. "Sakura-chan?"

"E-Everything. Everything with… with…"

He frowned at that and leaned closer but tensed when they heard the top step of the stairs creak, telling them that someone was approaching. Sitting back, he glanced in the direction of the opened door, waiting until it was pushed open further, the sight of her boyfriend entering with a cup of tea making her bite down hard on her lip to keep in control of her emotions.

Sasuke's eyes were downcast when he entered further into the room, placing the tea down on the bedside table. Awkwardly, they all remained in silence for a few moments longer until he looked to Naruto pointedly, telling him without words to get out.

But instead of doing so, Naruto continued to sit by her side, frowning.

"Naruto–"

"You can't expect me to leave her alone when she's like this," he argued. Hand coming to hers, he held tight, although his frown deepened when he felt the coldness of her skin. "Look at her, Sasuke."

"I _am_," muttered Sasuke in response and she felt herself shiver in response to the darkness in his voice. "That's why–"

"Drop the attitude," Naruto warned and stood up, uncaring that he invaded Sasuke's personal space when doing so. Glaring down at him, he said, "Sakura-chan wants me here – she's my best friend. Like hell I'll let anyone chase me away when she needs me. Not even you, Sasuke."

Her boyfriend looked to her in disbelief. "Sakura."

The bed sheets were tangled in her grip when she slowly clenched her fists, breathing out shakily.

"Please," he tried again, more softly this time as he took in her state, taking the blond by surprise. "What happened?"

There was obvious gentleness in his movements as he stepped around Naruto, slowly, almost cautiously, sitting beside her on the bed, much closer than the blond had been.

"Sakura. Please."

"Sakura-chan?"

"I-I felt like my chest…" She swallowed hard. "It was gonna explode."

"It was a panic attack."

The new voice caused Sasuke and Naruto to turn, but as she'd kind of expected him to linger, Sakura was not surprised when Itachi spoke up, leaning against the door frame with a guarded expression.

"Sakura-chan," murmured Naruto when he spun to face her, expression falling. "Why didn't you tell me you were feeling like that?"

"It's not as simple as that," Itachi murmured and stepped further into the room, handing over a cool, damp cloth. Unsurely, Sasuke accepted it, frowning as he brushed the hair from her forehead and placed it there. Sakura shut her eyes. "Sakura has been surrounded by conflict and confrontation for a while now. It is bound to wear down on her."

There'd been the fight with her former manager. Her parents. Ino. Fugaku. Madara. Sasuke. Kurotsuchi. Her parents _again_. In a way, she'd also confronted Itachi – or, at least, their feelings. It was draining her.

"We went for a drive after Sakura argued with her mother," continued Itachi, gesturing to her. "That is the reason why she is still in her pyjamas."

Gods, why did part of her relax when Sasuke took her hand? Why the hell couldn't she make up her damn mind? Was she scared of him or in love with him? Were the two always going to be tangled together? It confused her to no end.

"It must have become too much for her to handle – when we were looking through the photographs, Sakura started panicking. We came home once she had calmed down."

When she opened her eyes, she saw guilt flash through Sasuke's, his gaze moving away from hers.

In response to his pain, her hand relaxed and fingers spread, allowing his to entwine with hers.

"How long did it take for her to calm down?" asked Naruto.

"Roughly fifteen minutes."

That long? It'd happened so fast – it felt like it lasted only minutes, if that. Had she blacked out? Why couldn't she remember the full fifteen minutes of hell, or was that normal?

"We're here now," said Naruto suddenly and he sat down on her other side, hand bravely coming to her hip. "It'll be okay, Sakura-chan, I promise – you know I never go back on my word."

Her eyes shut again, fighting back the tears.

"Perhaps it would be best to let Sakura-chan rest," came the calm voice of Uchiha Mikoto. She was standing in the doorway, Sakura found when she looked up, looking as radiant as ever. "She will come to you when she is ready."

Itachi left first, nodding once in agreement and he was shortly followed by Naruto, who gave her a gentle squeeze before leaving. Sasuke lingered, however.

It _stunned her_ when Mikoto frowned faintly. "Sasuke. Allow Sakura-chan to rest."

"But–"

"Out. Now."

Apparently, it also surprised Sasuke to hear such a serious tone to his mother's voice, the warning clear to them both.

So, reluctantly and in a state of shock, he nodded and accepted his orders, leaving her alone.

And when the door shut and she was truly alone, Sakura found she could finally breathe easily, exhaustion finally taking over.


	24. Maybe We Should Try

**Chapter 24**

**Maybe We Should Try**

* * *

The sound of a careful knock on her door had Sakura's eyes fluttering open, her exhaustion still present and threatening to make her sleep for even longer, ignoring the person at her door.

"_I'm coming in_."

Sasuke.

He looked how she felt when he entered, not pausing for a second as he closed the door behind himself, ignoring the rules by doing so. There was a sigh, but he didn't approach her, remaining by the door until he leaned back against it, eyes shutting.

"Mother said you can stay as long as you like," he informed her. "If you want to."

Did she want to? Honestly, after her hellish day, Sakura couldn't decide which one was worse: facing her parents after that horrific argument or staying with the Uchiha family. Although her parents weren't abusive in the slightest, she couldn't be bothered dealing with the constant suspicions or stressful atmosphere. At least if she stayed with Sasuke's family, she could avoid Fugaku in the huge mansion. If she remained at her parents', she would have to face her mother at some point. The house wasn't even an eighth of the size of Sasuke's.

Nodding, she shut her eyes again, relaxing further into the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sakura sighed at that. "There's not much to talk about."

"Yes, there is," he disagreed. Her eyes opened when she heard him approaching the bed, sitting in his earlier spot, but he made no move to touch her, instead keeping a distance between them. "You're having panic attacks. That's not nothing."

Gods, she couldn't be bothered arguing with him. The whole point of her being at his place was to avoid further arguments. "Please, Sasuke-kun," whispered Sakura. "I don't want to argue."

"You think I do?" Sasuke questioned, frowning. "You didn't see the state you came here in. It looked like Itachi was carrying you."

He may as well have been. Even now, however many hours later, her body felt like it was weighted down. Moving was impossible for her – it was a good thing she didn't need the bathroom.

"I'm too tired."

He sighed. Running a hand through his hair, Sasuke averted his gaze, though it was soon drawn to the photograph beside her bed. The memory seemed to be a pleasant one for him, for it caused his eyes to soften.

"Then at least let me stay with you," he requested quietly, looking to her once more. "Until you're feeling better."

That wasn't fair, she internally screamed at her stupid, stupid heart. He was being the Sasuke before all the drama and the pain, reminding her of the boy she'd fallen so hard for and _it wasn't fair._ How the hell was she supposed to make her mind up on such an impossible decision when he kept bouncing between personalities?

Despite her thoughts, she nodded in agreement, her insides aching when he settled down beside her. He remained on top of the covers and facing her, hesitating for a moment before he gently took her hand, holding it securely.

And because he somehow seemed to sense that she needed it, Sasuke didn't try questioning her further or starting up another conversation. Instead, he lay with her for the longest time, silently offering her comfort, carefully brushing away a lone tear that slid onto the side of her nose, frowning softly while cupping her cheek afterwards.

There were no expectations or hints at ulterior motives as they lay there together and when Sakura looked into his eyes, she found only concern. It had her releasing a sigh of relief, relaxing completely.

When she eventually shivered slightly, he left her for all of ten seconds to fetch another quilt, the thickness of it secretly delighting her, especially when he tucked it around her, bringing it up to her chin. There was a tender smirk pulling on his lips when she smiled, his eyes growing just that tiny bit lighter and they continued to lighten as she readjusted the quilt, covering him too once he was beside her again.

"You're going to get into trouble," she eventually told him.

Sasuke shrugged, stunning her by bringing their joined hands closer, his frown at her cold skin leading him to bring his other hand to them, covering hers completely and sharing his warmth.

"Hopefully he'll give himself an aneurysm."

"Sasuke-kun," she chided, though couldn't hide her giggles.

He smirked and she felt her heart-warming in a way it hadn't for the longest time around him, reminding her of the old days when they first got together and he was just showing her the other side of him, the one he kept hidden from their friends.

But how long would it last?

"Do you remember the first time we lay like this together?"

How could she not? "Your parents let us camp outside the beach house together."

Itachi and Shisui hadn't been too far from them at Fugaku's insistence, but that hardly mattered because the older boys had given them as much privacy as possible, uncaring if they were disregarding Fugaku's orders.

"We were awake all night," he reminded her. His gaze lowered to their hands and he sighed. "Things were much simpler back then."

Yes, they were. Now, everything felt like it was so tangled that it'd never be straightened out again – her feelings being the messiest of them all, becoming a constant cause of frustration.

"I wish we could go back in time," admitted Sakura softly with a sigh. "To before everything that…"

"I don't know how to be that person anymore."

"Neither do I."

When he met her eyes once more, his own were filled with reluctant acceptance, eyebrows knitting together. "Where does that leave us if we can't be those people?"

Lost. Confused. Scared. Heartbroken.

But she couldn't tell him that. Not when he looked just as defeated as she felt.

What else was there to say, though?

The silence of the night weighed down on them both and in response, she shuffled a little closer to him, forehead coming to their joined hands.

Their relationship was mentally draining her, wearing her down to the point where she was now having panic attacks, but…

Gods, why was there always a but when it came to her?

"Finding our way," she murmured after another silent moment, looking to him. "Lost but finding our way."

Sasuke seemed to appreciate the honesty and he nodded, asking, "Do you think we can?"

"I want to," she said while realising it was the truth. She truly did want things to work out between them because despite everything, he was Sasuke. Her Sasuke. He was the man she loved with every fibre of her being. "I really want us to."

They each had their flaws, some more extreme than others. However, Sakura was not so ignorant as to believe she was wholly innocent in their relationship. Her sneaking around with Itachi was the ultimate betrayal. Not only was she semi-cheating, she was doing so with his beloved older brother, the man he'd basically worshipped as kids.

And in moments such as the one they were currently sharing, she could feel her guilt swelling to the point where she was certain it was written all over her features.

But if it was, he didn't comment on it.

"I…"

Sasuke was frowning again, unable to look her in the eye and it had dread settling in the pit of her stomach. There was a multitude of directions that the conversation could go, each progressively worse than the last and it had her fighting hard to remain composed, to keep the fear from showing on her face because that would make things so much worse, wouldn't it?

"I have an appointment," he eventually muttered, scowling. "With a therapist."

He…?

The news had her slowly leaning up onto her hands, leaning over him ever so slightly. "You…?"

"I was being serious when I said I wanted to change."

Yes, but to go to therapy…

"I also… want you there."

Tears filled her eyes.

"If you want to."

She nodded quickly and wiped at her eyes, smiling despite the tears. "I'll be there, Sasuke-kun. I promise, whenever you need me, I'm there."

He gave a relieved sigh at her agreement, turning to lay on his back. It looked as though he'd been trying to find ways to ask her for the longest time and knowing Sasuke the way she did, Sakura knew that he would have overthought absolutely everything, even the tiniest of details. That was just who he was.

"Thank you."

_No, Sasuke-kun. Thank you._

Smiling shyly, she settled down much closer to him, making him tense slightly when she rested her head on his chest, fingers fidgeting with his shirt. There was no mistaking the pounding of her heart, her nerves creating a faint tremble in her hands, but he soothed them by placing his hand over hers, thumb stroking her knuckles.

It made her smile when she heard the quickening of his own heartbeat.

"I've been making a mess of everything," he quietly confessed and she swallowed hard, eyes shutting at the self-loathing in his voice. "You're perhaps the only good thing in my life but the way I keep treating you is…"

She shuffled impossibly closer.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was rougher, clearly indicating his emotions getting the best of him and so Sakura kept her head on his chest, knowing he preferred it when she didn't see him in such a state. Instead, she continued to hold him, allowing him to get everything off his chest. It was the best way for them to communicate half of the time, as they didn't talk over one another or side-track the other.

"I feel lost," he said, unknowingly repeating her own devastating realisation and making her heart ache further. "Like somewhere down the line of trying so hard to please my father, I've lost myself."

That was what she'd suspected right at the start of it all. When Itachi's absence had created a strain on the family, when more pressure was dropped on Sasuke's shoulders, he'd started to change. He'd taken full advantage of having his father's unwavering attention, doing his utmost to make him proud. It'd been heart-breaking witnessing how far Sasuke pushed himself for the smallest amounts of praise, even more so when Fugaku tore into him mercilessly for the slightest of mistakes.

Although Sasuke hid his reactions in front of his father, the words still cut him deeply. He merely got better at keeping up his cold front, allowing the words to brush off him in the moment. Then, once he was alone, he faced the criticism, allowing it to tear him up.

Sometimes, he forgot to switch that cold mask off, allowing it to take over all parts of his life.

Sometimes, he lost the switch entirely.

"I don't know how to get back to what we used to be."

"Therapy is a start," Sakura assured him gently and she pressed a kiss to his chest, over his pounding heart. "It shows how hard you're trying, Sasuke-kun. I can see how hard you're trying."

"But will it be enough?" he asked. "What if it doesn't help and I can't change?"

He couldn't think that way. Being so pessimistic was going to drag them down, though she knew she couldn't outright say that to him. It would break his heart, because he couldn't help being that way.

"At least give it a few sessions before thinking that," she said. "The change might be so gradual that you might not be able to see it for yourself."

"But you will."

She smiled, nodding. "I will."

He shifted beneath her until Sakura lifted herself, allowing Sasuke to turn onto his side so that they were face-to-face, his eyes searching her features.

"I miss this."

Her smile saddened and she reached out, stroking his cheek. "I miss this, too."

It almost felt like old times. Way back before they were weighed down with the pressures of family and society in general.

When they'd first started their relationship, they hadn't cared about appearances (as much) or what people thought of their being together. They'd been happy learning about one another and seeing the other in a new light, happily believing that they didn't need outsiders' opinions. Lately, however, it was safe to say they'd both been experiencing the pressures of being like the other couples, who were unashamed to admit that they were sexually active. Hell, it wasn't until recently that she and Sasuke had made out in front of others.

It didn't register in her mind until she was shutting her eyes that she experienced no fear when Sasuke shuffled closer, their foreheads coming together. Perhaps it was because he made no other move following that? Whatever it was, didn't matter to her – no, it did, just not in a negative way. The relief of realising she was learning to relax in his presence once more was enough to nearly reduce her to tears.

Instead, she snuggled closer, smile returning when he accepted her in a comforting embrace.

"Is this really okay?" she whispered. Despite her words, she pressed her face into his neck, eyes shutting. "Your being in here with me?"

"I'm eighteen now," was all Sasuke said in response. It sounded like his own exhaustion was catching up on him, just as hers was.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun. I love you."

She felt his smile. "I love you."

* * *

She couldn't believe how well she'd slept.

Burying her face into the arm beneath her head, Sakura bit back her grin.

They'd moved around during the night, ending with him spooning her, his arms wrapped securely around her and refusing to let go. Again, she found that she wasn't scared – she believed it was the reason behind her suddenly elated mood.

His even breaths tickled her scalp, but she couldn't find it in her to complain. Although, if she was going to complain about anything, it was definitely about the horrific case of morning breath she was plagued with.

Grimacing, Sakura glanced down at the arms, wondering how she would detach herself without waking her boyfriend since brushing her teeth was a must.

There wasn't only accidentally waking Sasuke that she had to worry about, though. He wasn't actually supposed to be in her room – with the door shut especially – so what would she say if she happened across his parents and they asked her where he was? She couldn't lie to them, could she?

And…

What if she crossed paths with Itachi? What would he say if he found out?

Why was she worried? Sasuke was her boyfriend. They had every right to share a bed. They–

Gods, she needed to get her shit together.

Ignoring the anxiety clawing away at her insides, Sakura carefully detangled herself from Sasuke's warm embrace, silently promising she would only be a few moments.

Her anxiety steadily increased as she darted her way across the hall, consciously being as silent as possible to remain undetected. Nobody really used the bathroom opposite her room – there were several on that floor and she was fairly certain the main rooms had en-suites.

She made quick work of relieving herself, brushing her teeth and washing the makeup she'd regrettably slept in off, all the while reprimanding herself harshly for doing such a stupid thing. Gods, her pores were going to be clogged as hell now, meaning spots. Like she had the time and energy to deal with them on top of all her other problems.

The trip back to the room was made just as quickly and Sakura let out a sigh of relief when she managed to shut the door behind herself without interruption, smiling at the sight of Sasuke continuing to sleep peacefully in her bed. It made her so unbelievably happy seeing him so relaxed, his features smoothed out of their usual scowl. It reminded Sakura of their first couple of years together, when they'd both been so carefree and happy.

Smiling, she slipped back under the covers, snuggling up to him once more and she giggled when he immediately accepted her, nuzzling his face into her neck.

She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the tender moment with a heart that was swelling with love for the man in her arms.

_This_.

_This_ was why she didn't leave him.

Beneath his harsh, cold exterior was the boy she'd fallen so hard for. The one who always looked out for her, who let her see all sides of him, the one who dropped everything for her. Despite his faults, he cared. He loved her.

His nose brushed against her throat and Sakura shut her eyes. Relaxing was the easiest it had ever been, leaving her to melt into his embrace, shivering delicately when Sasuke's hand grazed the skin between her shirt and shorts, attempting to close the distance between them completely.

"How do you feel?"

She smiled, fingers tangling in the back of his shirt when his hand clutched at her back. "Better than yesterday," came her truthful response. Leaning back, she met his gaze, smile warming when she saw he was still in the process of waking up. She'd never tell him (for it'd annoy the hell out of him) but Sasuke was unbearably adorable when he first woke up. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Dark eyes rolled at that. "If you're going to unnecessarily apologise for anything, apologise for feeling like you can't open up to me."

It stunned her into silence when she nearly went through with his mock order, the apology already starting to fall from her lips when Sasuke's gaze snapped back to hers, wide with disbelief.

"I was kidding, Sakura."

"I-I know. I–"

Gods, why did she always have to ruin everything?

Just as he was about to pull away, she grabbed a tighter hold of him, keeping their bodies close.

"Sakura–"

"I'm sorry," she told him with a sigh, eyes shutting again.

"Don't apologise."

"But I've-"

"Done nothing wrong," he muttered.

How could he say that after she'd destroyed such a tender moment between them?

Shaking her head, she snuggled into him, doing her best to shove the negativity from her mind.

_She had to get the moment back!_

But just as she nuzzled into his neck, she heard his breathing cut off sharply, his hands soon coming to still her.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

"You're…" When Sakura fought against his hands to look up at his face, she was surprised to find that he was blushing and unable to meet her eye, instead staring intently at the photograph on her nightstand. "Just don't move so much."

Why–

Her own cheeks burned and sheepishly, she brought her arm between their bodies, keeping it secure against her chest. As though it wasn't bad enough she'd completely (and idiotically) forgotten she wasn't wearing a bra or underwear, the friction of their bodies being so tightly pressed together in her attempt to get the tender moment back had hardened her nipples. Much to her utter mortification, Sasuke had felt them.

Smiling and keeping her arm between them, she shuffled closer again, about to tangle their limbs once more when Sasuke stopped her again.

But much to her surprise, it wasn't because of her.

It was him.

_He was the one who was embarrassed._

Keeping her eyes away from the demanding sight before her was impossible. Even though she knew her boyfriend wouldn't appreciate it in the slightest, she couldn't help but glance downwards to the space between their bodies, the bulge in his sweats making her swallow nervously.

Of course, there'd been times in the past where they'd made out and he had been aroused by it, but after all that had happened, it just…

Damn it, _why_ did it take her by surprise?

"I should-"

_No._

He was _so_ not pushing her away again.

They _would_ be normal again!

Grabbing the collar of his shirt, Sakura tugged him back to her, capturing his lips in a kiss that startled him, leaving Sasuke to tense against her. It took mere seconds for him to relax into her, however and he reciprocated the kiss with equal vigour, hands seeking out the best place to grab, leaving her skin tingling in his wake.

Swallowing down her slowly building nerves, Sakura ensured she was fully in control as she pushed against him, following his lips eagerly as she slid her thigh over his body. Hands threading through dark, soft hair and hips rolling experimentally as he sat up with her, they both sighed shakily.

The feeling of Sasuke gripping at her body wasn't as unpleasant as the past few times had been. Like in the gym, it was welcome.

"I love you," she told him in a gentle whisper, eyes shutting when Sasuke's lips moved to her throat. There was no stopping her quiet gasp at the sensation, one that seemed twice as pleasurable due to the insistent rolling of their hips. "I love you so much, Sasuke-kun."

His lips returned to hers, only pausing between their kissing to tell her, "I love you."

They would be okay.

Gods, the friction was maddening. It had her fingers tightening their shaky hold on his hair, his own grasp on her hips strong, guiding her into a rougher rock that had her breaking the kiss and dropping her forehead to his, struggling to hold back her noises of pleasure.

_They were going to be okay._

She felt impossibly warm – so did he, if his blush and the intense warmth of his skin was anything to go by – but it wasn't in a bad way.

"I love you," he murmured again, only hesitating for a moment before he was lowering her onto the bed. "Tell me if this isn't okay."

To prove that it was, Sakura wrapped her legs around his waist, heart stuttering when Sasuke pulled away to remove his sweats, leaving him in boxers. The next thing to go was his shirt.

Nervous butterflies exploded into thrilling hotness when their bodies came back together and Sasuke's hands trembled while coaxing her into wrapping her thighs around his waist, his eyes fixed on hers, asking if it was okay, if she wanted to stop.

Her only answer was to grind against him, pausing as they were both overwhelmed by the feeling of being so vexingly close.

Sasuke groaned against her lips, eyes squeezing shut. "You're so wet."

The flimsy shorts she was wearing had never been more unwanted than in that moment, but the realisation didn't startle her. It couldn't when he began a slow, terse grind that had her toes curling against his calves, going between gripping at the sheets and his skin before deciding on the latter. Somehow, just being able to touch Sasuke in such an intimate way, feeling the power behind his thrusting hips, increased her pleasure and she slipped a hand beneath his underwear, making him gasp into her neck when she clutched a tighter hold of his ass.

She could feel the wetness of her arousal soaking through her shorts and while part of her _was_ embarrassed about it, her mind was snatched away from the useless emotion, Sasuke's lips and tongue swallowing her mewling fervently.

It had to be the furthest they'd ever gone before and it simultaneously thrilled and terrified Sakura.

Flinching when his inexperienced hand grabbed too harshly at her breast, she reached up, catching his arm, smiling in forgiveness when Sasuke apologised profusely and began to pull away.

"N-No, don't stop," she begged in a shy whisper, hooking a leg around his hips to keep him pressed against her. "Just… be gentle."

Though she wasn't comfortable in stripping down for him, Sasuke didn't seem mind, continuing to explore beneath her vest, hand cupping her breast experimentally, fingers tracing around her nipple curiously.

They ignored the slipping of her shorts, the continuous brushes of his underwear on her bare heat leaving Sakura to clutch desperately at him and _Gods_, in that moment, she was so tempted to tell him to hell with it all. Take it all off. She wanted more, damn it.

"I'm-" He choked back his next groan, body tensing and she watched in awe as the strain began to show on his features, telling Sakura without words that he was fighting back his fast approaching orgasm. "_Sakura."_

Daringly, stupidly, driven entirely by her raging hormones and in response to the vulnerable way he moaned her name, she reached down between thrusts and shoved his underwear down, muffling her moan into his shoulder when their bare sexes rubbed together, his responding groaned curse pushing her closer and closer to the edge.

Gods, it was so wet. So unbearably hot. _So fucking intense. _And that was before he leaned back to look at her, his gaze zeroing in on her and causing the rest of the world to fade away, reminding her of their love and the future she wanted with him more than anything.

It was at the prod of his length at her weeping opening, the feeling of him being so tantalisingly close but refusing to enter, that was surprisingly her undoing. Body going taut against his, her nails dug into his skin, undoubtedly leaving obvious scratches down his back and sides as she tried to anchor herself to him, but soon all ability to think was wiped from her entirely as she felt an explosion of wetness shooting up between their bodies.

They'd just…

Her cheeks were already on fire from their scorching make-out session, so they hid her embarrassment well.

Sasuke's features were just as red, their pants for breath mixing in the little space between them.

Then, he was grabbing his shirt that'd been dangling on the edge of the bed, using it to wipe her clean, all the while unable to meet her eye until he was done.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, she stopped him by abruptly sitting up, eyes wide with horror as she grabbed at his arms. Although she'd expected some marks due to her grip on him, Sakura hadn't realised just how tightly she'd been holding onto him. It'd been hard enough to not _only_ leave scratches, but to make him bleed. She'd made her boyfriend bleed.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun," she told him brokenly.

He seemed curious as he looked down at the scratches. "Don't be. I didn't even feel it."

But…

Sasuke silenced her by smiling softly and leaning closer, placing a soft kiss to her lips. "Really, Sakura. I'm okay. It doesn't hurt." Another, much deeper kiss was the cause of their next pause, but she didn't mind in the slightest, Sakura found, her heart swelling with relief when she once again managed to relax. "I _am_ surprised, though. I didn't expect…"

Yeah, she wasn't exactly sure on what to call it either, never mind how to explain where it even came from. Was that normal? Was that how those at school had felt whenever they cluttered the halls, lost in one another's embraces, slobbering all over each other?

She'd honestly never experienced such need before. Such a primal _desperation_ that sunk its grip not only in her body, but heart, too. Part of her was ashamed for giving in the way she had, especially after all that'd gone on, but her heart was feeling way too relieved and grateful to allow her brain a chance to intrude on the moment.

"Maybe it's a sign," she told him hopefully, smiling when he kissed her again.

"A sign?"

"That we're moving forward."

She felt him smile into their kiss and when Sakura moved to hold onto him, she felt his shoulders relaxing.

"You're amazing."

Amazing? Her? Really? "You think?"

"Despite everything, you're still so hopeful and positive. It's hard to feel negative around you," he murmured against his lips. Then, taking her by surprise completely, he threw himself back and dragged her with him, easing Sakura into straddling his waist. "Even if you deserve so much better than me, you're still the perfect person for me."

It took way too much effort to stomp back her childish squeal of joy and happiness and because of focusing so hard on trying to hold _that_ back, she was unable to stop the happy creasing of her eyes, or the wide grin that split her lips.

But she shouldn't have bothered either way, because Sasuke seemed to appreciate her reaction wholeheartedly, dark eyes softening and scanning her features one by one, sighing deeply.

"It's been too long since you last smiled like that."

Her heart simultaneously sunk while skipping beats.

"I'll make sure it happens every day."

* * *

"As previously discussed, we feel it is only fitting that we review the terms of your staying here, Haruno."

She straightened in her seat at the dinner table, refusing to look at any other family member as her gaze focused solely on Fugaku.

The man sat proudly in his seat at the head of the table, chin tilted haughtily upwards as it usually did. If his harsh personality didn't tell others of his higher-class status, then Fugaku's aura alone did. It practically screamed entitlement.

When he nodded in her direction, Mikoto gave a twitch of her lips and Sakura wondered sadly if it was supposed to be a smile. "Firstly, we would like to thank you both for respecting and abiding by our rules. You have earned our trust in doing so."

Guilt had her briefly glancing downwards at the table, but she masked it by smiling bashfully and taking Sasuke's hand, meeting his eye with the same smile. As expected, he was being reserved, though she couldn't tell whether it was because of the discussion or his father in general.

"We are aware of the fact that you are both eighteen now – adults, more or less," continued Fugaku, nodding once more to tell Mikoto she was done talking and Sakura bit back her agitation at the interaction, mainly because she had no right to be annoyed by it. Not when she also acted in such a pitiful way. "As adults, we find it only fitting that you are given more freedom."

Okay, she had no idea it would feel so grossly uncomfortable having Itachi sitting in on the conversation. While Sakura had always known she wouldn't like it, she hadn't thought it would be as bad as it was. It felt like her skin was crawling, especially when she accidentally caught his eye and had to pretend like everything was normal between them.

"From tonight – or when you next choose to stay – you may share a bedroom."

She wasn't the only one who was blushing, thankfully. Sasuke's face was growing redder by the minute.

Gods, it was so freaking humiliating. They weren't even _asked_ if they wanted to share, simply told that they could. Or was that in an attempt of glossing over _that_ particular conversation?

"All we ask in return is that you must be considerate of others and use protection."

Sakura choked on thin air and dropped her gaze to the table.

Grossly uncomfortable? No. She'd take that feeling instead of what she was feeling now. Now, it was way worse, especially when she felt Itachi looking away too, focusing on his food once more.

_What was he thinking?_

"Do not make us regret giving you such freedom."

They nodded quickly.

"You may go and move your belongings now."

They quickly excused themselves, desperate to get away from them all.

It was only into ten minutes of packing up her stuff to move it all to another room that Sasuke caught her wrist and sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed. For the time being, her daywear was left to hang in her wardrobes, but all pyjamas and socks were currently strewn across her bed. The underwear drawer remained untouched because like hell she was letting Sasuke see her underwear. They may have been intimate earlier that day sure, but still. It was bad enough Mikoto insisted on washing her clothes for her. When she found out Sakura always took her laundry home with her to wash there and bring back when cleaned, it'd been a mortifying conversation.

"Stop," he ordered quietly, causing the embarrassing thoughts to disappear.

His reluctance to help and overall quiet mood had made her a little unsure, but Sakura had pushed it aside as his father upsetting him by humiliating them the way he had. Had that been the case, then she knew Sasuke would eventually talk to her about it and move on from it. But… It seemed that wasn't the case. Not entirely, anyway and it had her feeling unsure of herself suddenly – or more than before, anyway.

"What's wrong?"

Slowly, as to not offend her no doubt, Sasuke released her wrist, sighing again. "It doesn't…" Stunning Sakura with his grimace, he met her eye, frowning. "It feels wrong."

She hesitated for a brief second before sitting by his side, sinking into her bed and staring at the opened wardrobe. Trying not to fidget with the pyjama shirt in her hands, Sakura bit her lip and placed it behind them, adding it to the mountain of clothes.

"You don't want me to move into your room?" she questioned quietly, unable to explain the conflicting lighter feeling of her shoulders.

Was she excited to move into Sasuke's room? She wasn't so sure. In a way, yeah. Definitely. It meant they had his family's blessing and trust, but in another way, it was a bit like… Well, they had his family's blessing.

"It's on his say so," Sasuke muttered, mirroring her thoughts unknowingly. "We're allowed to share a room, to explore the sexual side of our relationship, because he allows it."

The same gross feeling from the dining room returned to Sakura, followed by the nightmare of Fugaku looming over her, pinning her to the bed.

"I know it probably makes no sense because of what happened earlier," he continued in a murmur and she smiled weakly when the tips of his ears turned a deep shade of red.

Shaking her head, Sakura reached out and took his hand, entwining their fingers. Out of habit, they'd left her bedroom door open but it wasn't overly concerning – they simply kept their voices lowered, so as to not evoke Fugaku's anger should he hear them badmouthing him.

"It makes perfect sense," Sakura assured him with a smile. "Today's been great – the best it's been in a long time, right?" He nodded once, smiling faintly. "Why should we change our pace for others' sakes?"

It wasn't said as though they _had_ to share a room, anyways. They were simply told–

Actually, no they weren't. Fugaku had told them to move her stuff, hadn't he? Well, that they 'may' move her stuff.

Her train of thought was disrupted by the pinging of her phone, the sight of it lighting up on her nightstand making Sakura frown curiously. She reached for it without a second thought, though her stomach twisted sharply at the sight of Shikamaru's name and message.

_Ino attacked her mother and trashed their place last night._

"Holy shit," she said before she could stop herself.

"What's wrong?"

Dropping her arm to her side with a frown, she repeated the message to Sasuke and to prove how bad the situation truly was, his eyes widened in shock.

"Her own mother?"

Sakura nodded, swallowing hard.

_How far have you fallen, Ino?_ She wondered helplessly.

Another ping.

_We're doing this tonight._


	25. To Tell Ourselves A Good Lie

**Chapter 25**

**To Tell Ourselves A Good Lie**

* * *

They were playing with fire, yet…

Sitting back once her seatbelt was on, Sakura heaved a sigh of relief, unable to meet Shisui's perplexed glance between them, no doubt wondering what the hell their problem was.

"So," he began conversationally, ignoring their warning glares that almost begged of him to stay quiet. "Care to explain why you snuck out like a kid disobeying his parents, Itachi?"

"Just drive."

A dark eyebrow raised curiously and he once more peered over at her, silently asking what his deal was.

Honestly, she didn't want to get into it. Not with Shisui, not with Itachi and most definitely not with herself, no matter how childish that sounded. It was too much to handle on top of the drama with Ino.

So instead, Sakura stubbornly turned away, staring out of the window even though she couldn't see much of the world that was blurring past her (it was kind of funny to her that an officer of the law was quite happily breaking the speed limit). Still, she knew they were headed in the right direction when she caught sight of a familiar flower shop.

Gaze trailing up to the rear-view mirror, she swallowed when she caught Itachi's eye, immediately looking away in response.

What was she supposed to say to him that she hadn't already said before? She'd tried breaking things off, tried telling him that she didn't want to lead him on, that she _wanted_ to make things with Sasuke work. But then her stupid, selfish heart yearned for him with an intensity that scalded her, making it impossible to distance herself. And no matter how many times she told him it wasn't going to happen (in one way or another), he remained there, waiting for her, waiting until she needed his support and comfort.

How was she supposed to cut ties with him when so far, he'd stood by her so loyally, so unconditionally?

Easily. It was supposed to be easily. But it wasn't. It wasn't easy to cut ties with him and it fucking _hurt._

Risking another glance upwards, part of her felt disappointed that Itachi was no longer looking at her, his gaze stuck on the blurred buildings and hedges.

They would be at Ino's place soon, but Shikamaru had already assured her the blonde wasn't in and for that, Sakura was grateful. She needed more time to ensure she was calm and ready – going into their plan with anything less than good intentions was asking for failure.

As mad as she was, she didn't want to make things harder for Ino. She was already suffering in ways Sakura knew she'd never be able to understand. Hell, she was painfully aware of the fact that until recently, she'd never taken much notice of the word 'addiction' and how heavy it really was. Instead, she'd brushed it off. Now she had no choice but to stare into the eyes of the monster that was addiction and save her friend from it.

She gritted her teeth.

_Ino needed her._

And of course, she was Haruno Sakura, the idiot who could never turn away a friend (or even ex-friend) who was struggling and needed help.

Gods, she really was a hopeless idiot.

* * *

Shaking her hands out nervously, Sakura paced, just barely keeping herself from freaking the hell out.

Ino was currently inside the club she was stood outside of, partying harder than ever and after a long conversation with her mother, to find out for herself what actually happened and how it all went down, Sakura had assured her she would get to the bottom of it.

It'd been a difficult conversation to say the least. She'd been crying, Sakura had been crying. They both got to a stage of being unintelligible and damn near hysterical until finally, she informed her of their plan, taking a risk in telling her the truth.

* * *

"_This is…" She didn't blame Shisui for sounding stunned._

"_Oh, it was horrible," she whispered, dabbing at her eyes._

_Sakura could only nod in numbed disbelief, staring around the living room that was still being fixed by Choji and Shikamaru._

_Curtains were torn from their poles, stains of what Sakura assumed to be wine marred the walls, only some of the hanging photographs put back, but the glass shattered, making Sakura wonder how badly the others had been damaged during Ino's fit of rage. The coffee table was gone and she knew that it'd been smashed, for they'd been instructed to keep their shoes on rather than take them off at the door (she was glad for that, as she knelt to pick up a piece of glass sticking out from underneath the sofa, using her sleeve to do so) and the metal frame was rested against the wall._

_Even–_

_Tears filled Sakura's eyes as she noticed the missing vase from beneath the television. Until that day, it'd remained there on the glass stand, its vibrant shades contrasting wonderfully with the neutral walls. Thirteen years it'd been there for, even though it'd been ugly as hell. Why? Because it was something she and Ino had made as a Mother's Day present, giggling and declaring that they weren't friends, they were sisters, so it was a gift from both of them. They'd made something else for her own mother, who'd wept with love and gratefulness._

"_Inoichi is trying to fix it as we speak," her mother assured her tearfully, hand coming to her shoulder. "Try not to worry, Sakura-chan."_

_But how could she not? How was she supposed to stay calm when she saw the bloodied bandages on her hands?_

_Sakura's eyes shot to hers, even as her vision blurred and it became impossible to see the depths of those heartbroken brown eyes._

"_I'm going to fix this, Oba," she promised her brokenly, yanking the older woman into a strong hug. Immediately, she was returning it, shaking minutely and breaking Sakura's heart all over again. "I'm going to bring the Ino we love home, okay?"_

* * *

Of course, explaining a plan as reckless as theirs, telling a woman who was already on the edge with beyond frayed nerves, was difficult and draining. Many times, Ino's mother had snapped about the dangers of forcing someone to go cold turkey, but the fact that she avoided using the word 'alcoholic' or even 'alcohol dependent' gave Sakura the upper hand she needed and she promptly told her that she would never be able to help Ino herself if she couldn't even come to terms with the fact that her daughter was an addict.

There were several times during the conversation that the brunette tried arguing with her, insisting that Ino was merely lost and couldn't control herself. She was struggling with the divorce and couldn't understand or manage her emotions, causing her to lash out. Sakura had responded with shocking coldness and seriousness, saying it was _that_ mentality that allowed her to fall as far as she had.

Ignoring the problem or brushing it under the rug was why Ino was suffering as much as she was. Showering her with expensive gifts and money, always letting her off the hook because their divorce had supposedly damaged her mentally, was not the way to handle things. Instead of gifts, they should have sat down and spoken to each other. They should have addressed the issues.

Was it harsh? Yes. Enough so that even Shikamaru had tried reprimanding her for it, but both Shisui and Itachi had silenced him effortlessly, agreeing with her without hesitation because deep down, they all knew she was right.

How would they help Ino if they couldn't call her what she was? How would she ever know that she didn't need to rely on alcohol to feel better if they continuously left her alone in her suffering with nothing else to turn to? Alcohol gave her the escape she needed. It lessened her agony. And they were _all_ to blame for her downfall, because when she reached out to them, they weren't there for her.

Her parents had focused on their jobs, not wanting to face the pain they'd caused their daughter, instead covering it with band aids in the form of gifts. Her friends – herself included – had all been too busy with their own lives, too immature to really see how dark things were getting for her.

* * *

"_We won't let anything happen to her," Choji tried to reassure her, holding a couple of Ino's bags in his hands._

_They were filled to the brim with clothes, family photo albums, her favourite childhood blanket and other home comforts and it'd been reluctantly that the bags were handed over, Ino's mother once more questioning their plan._

"_I am a fully trained officer," Shisui spoke up. "We also have a doctor on hand. You can have the doctor's number for regular updates – I already asked her permission to give it to you."_

_But she was still hesitating, frightened about what would happen to her only child and Sakura supposed it was completely understandable. She was scared too._

"_Look at me," she ordered seriously, begging of herself to remain strong. She had to for Ino's sake. Taking a deep breath, Sakura stepped in front of the older woman and cupped her cheeks, forcing those wide brown eyes to remain locked on hers. "Ino's always been like a sister to me, even after everything that's happened. So, look me in the eye and ask yourself: _would I ever hurt her?"

* * *

It was the fierceness of her promise that had her agreeing, Sakura believed and in addition to having the doctor's number on hand for regular updates, she'd also informed her that she would be checking in on her, too. To make sure it didn't become too much for Sakura to handle.

_She's coming – Shikamaru._

Pocketing her phone, Sakura stood to the side of the club, waiting for the blonde to appear.

The music was already impressively loud, the bass almost causing the walls to vibrate, but it grew even more so when the doors to the club swung open carelessly, threatening to cover the rambunctious laughter that filled the street. Sakura had to focus intently on the group that left, waiting until she spotted them passing her before she easily plucked Ino out from the group of older strangers she was partying with, dragging her into the alleyway.

"W-What the–" Her heel threatened to give out beneath her as she struggled immensely to steady herself, the pitiful sight of her ex-best friend making Sakura's heart clench. "Sakura?" Ino eventually slurred, stumbling towards her with a scowl. "The hell are you doin' here?"

Gods, she was beyond wasted – she could tell from the smell alone and they weren't even in each other's faces yet.

The others were nearby, Choji's worry about their clashing forcing them all to intrude on what was supposed to be a tender moment.

Originally, Sakura had wanted to lure Ino into her car under the guise of wanting to continue a heart-to-heart that would start in the alley. From there, she'd planned on driving her to wherever Shikamaru planned to make Ino go cold turkey. But to open herself up for them all to hear, to force Ino to face all the heartbreak she'd unleashed on her, wasn't an option. There was also the risk of them hearing about what Sasuke had done to her and she couldn't take that risk. She couldn't do that to him – couldn't alienate him from the few _real_ friends he had.

"I heard about what happened with your mom," she told her after a brief pause, biting her lower lip.

It was unnerving seeing Ino in such a state, unable to stand straight, slipping in her heels even when she wasn't moving, her skin flushed, clothes askew, hair and makeup–

_Oh Gods_.

She quickly averted her eyes from the stain on the bottom of her dress.

Had it already escalated to what Shisui had suspected? Was she using other means to get alcohol?

"Go to hell," muttered Ino, though the coldness of her words was ruined by the slurring and hiccuping. "You're bringin' me down – n-nothin' new, you uptight bitch."

Great. So she was going to be chewed out in front of everyone _again_ for the sake of getting through to Ino. Gods, she'd wished they would all back off so she could've gone with her original plan, but no amount of reassurances had worked on Choji _or_ Shikamaru.

"I just wanted to talk, Ino-Pig," she said, heart experiencing a godawful stabbing sensation at their old term of endearment. And she knew it affected Ino too, because she suddenly grew _very_ still, blue eyes widening. "You really hurt her."

…_and me._

But for whatever reason (perhaps the emotional moment was too much for her, she wondered), she tried moving away and Sakura reached out immediately, intent on steadying her before Ino could fall into the rubbish at the side of the alley.

"Don't you think you owe me this much?" she demanded, scowling. "It's just a conversation."

She attempted to yank her arm out of Sakura's hold. "Nothin' to do with you!"

"Ino, please–"

"Get the fuck off me," she demanded shrilly, though contradicted her words entirely by lurching forward, shoving at her.

But like hell they were repeating the incident at Sasuke's birthday party.

She was done being pushed around.

"This is for your own good," Sakura told her, knuckles cracking when she squeezed her fist tighter.

"Sakura, don't–"

"You wouldn't dare," came Ino's haughty reply and she laughed nastily. "Goody-two-shoes Haruno Sakura, too good for everyone, even when her boyfriend tries to r–"

They were all interrupted by her rage, by her fist suddenly striking Ino hard enough to knock her out cold, leaving her sprawled out on the ground.

"That…" she muttered coldly, shaking her hand to try and rid herself of the sharp pain and stopping immediately when it made it worse. "That is for sending nudes to my boyfriend."

"That was unnecessary," snapped Choji. He was the first to reach Ino's collapsed form, wincing when he spotted the already-bruising cheek and busted nose. "You could've dragged her out of here–"

"And have her sound the alarm?" Itachi questioned smoothly.

Part of her sagged with relief when he came to stand by her side, silently holding out his hand to inspect hers just as she had his when he punched Madara. She was unable to meet his eye when he checked it over – couldn't even look up at him whatsoever, her gaze remaining fixated on his jacket.

"It's already done now," came Shikamaru's mutter and he held up a hand, lowering the phone from his ear. Within seconds, headlights flooded the alley and Sakura stepped back with Itachi, allowing Shisui's car as close as it could get. "Ino probably would've done the same, had it been the other way around."

Without a doubt.

"Hurry up," ordered Shisui, only leaning out of his car. "Her new friends are suspicious and looking for her."

"Friends," she snorted.

Shikamaru's thoughts mirrored her own – she knew they did, especially when he caught sight of her dress and his jaw clenched, quickly covering her with his hoodie. It stunned her when he glanced upwards, making sure Choji didn't see the stain, breathing out a sigh of relief when he found he hadn't.

"Wait," Sakura demanded, tugging her hand free to go towards the two men as they lifted her. It was swiftly that she grabbed Ino's legs, keeping them pressed together to try and save an inch of what little was left of her dignity. "Okay, let's go."

"Are you sure–"

"I'm not as weak as I look," she snapped at the pair of them, eyes narrowing. "We used to throw each other around all the time growing up."

Still, Ino weighed much more than what she had as a prepubescent child (not that Sakura would ever tell her _that_) and for a brief moment, she regretted her decision in carrying her with them, but one look at Ino's vulnerable features had her pushing through the protesting of her muscles, one arm hooking beneath her knees, other keeping a secure hold of her dress.

Unlike when driving around earlier, Sakura sat in the back seat, allowing Ino's head to rest on her shoulder. If she looked behind herself, she was able to see Shikamaru's car tailgating Shisui's.

Passed out (and ignoring the stench of alcohol and cigarettes coming from her), Ino almost looked like the girl she'd once been so close to. She looked like her best friend again. And Sakura couldn't keep herself from reaching out, delicately brushing the shockingly thinning and dull hair behind her ear.

Gods, she'd made such a mess of her face.

"Sakura-chan."

She looked up at the rear-view mirror and she knew from the meeting of their eyes alone that Shisui had heard way too much thanks to Shikamaru overthinking everything (he'd left a call open with Shisui, allowing him to hear everything in case Ino's so-called friends found them), her heart clenching with fear.

"What she said back there, right before you cut her off–"

"Leave it, Shisui," Itachi ordered without looking away from his features, his own serious and guarded.

But he wouldn't, making her hands shake terribly as the fear spread. Unknowingly, she clutched a tighter hold of Ino, not even noticing when she weakly returned the hold.

"No." Anger flashed in his eyes, briefly meeting Itachi's before returning to hers but in that quick moment of freedom, she managed to drop her gaze, cowardly escaping from his demanding glare. "Our family is too quick to brush abuse under the rug – myself included for the longest time, to the extent where I don't even know how to simply _look_ at Mikoto-oba anymore, Itachi. Like hell I'm going to let history repeat itself."

He was referencing Sasuke potentially being a product of–

Horror laced through her, weaving through her tighter and tighter until she could barely even breathe.

What if…?

No. _No_. He was going to therapy. He _wanted_ her to go with him. He wanted to change, to become a better person. _He was trying his damned hardest_.

"Do not."

It shocked her to hear the warning shake in Itachi's voice, but she was completely blown away by the furiousness of his glare – it seemed to take Shisui by surprise too, for he had to do a double take, his own eyes widening with shock.

"Do not compare Sasuke to our father."

Hearing him defending Sasuke, when lately all people did was tear the youngest Uchiha down, unwound her panic a little.

"The differences between them are too great," he continued in a cold mutter. "Whereas our father belittles and abuses our mother for his own selfish, sick desires, Sasuke struggles immensely both with controlling himself and the aftermath."

Disbelief was written all over Shisui's features and for a split second, he looked almost sick. "I get you love your little brother dearly, but you're defending an abuser–"

"Sasuke-kun really is trying," she snapped before she could stop herself, almost flinching when that disbelieving gaze was settled on her. "He's going to therapy and asked me to be there with him! He broke down and told me how scared he was about it not working and was so…" Tears filled her eyes. "He was _so_ relieved when I told him I'd be there every step of the way!"

The sight of their surroundings seemed to knock the calm façade back into Shisui, because in an instant, all personal feelings were locked away, leaving her to look in Itachi's direction when he sighed.

"I wish I could believe you," he murmured while pulling onto a driveway behind two other cars. "But I've seen this way too many times in my profession."

The tears fell when she was suddenly alerted to Ino's rousing, the feeling of her almost comforting hold breaking her.

"And I know how it all inevitably ends when the victim is trapped in that mentality."

* * *

It must have been subconsciously that Ino had tried comforting her, because when they entered Obito's home, she was still out for the count. No doubt the mixture of alcohol _and_ being punched was keeping her out for longer than usual, although no amount of assurances from his doctor wife eased the knots in her stomach at the sight of her best friend so helpless and vulnerable.

As the couple didn't have any children, they had plenty of spare room in their home and Sakura was startled with how homely they'd set the room up for Ino. His wife – Rin, she'd soon been reminded – was swift in setting out her home comforts, wrapping the childhood blanket around the blonde before carefully assessing the bruising to her face, dabbing the crusting blood away from her nose.

"Obito, can you get an ice wrap for me? We'll use it to try and ease the swelling on her cheek."

Sakura winced and set herself to unpacking the rest of Ino's bags. She took more care than necessary to put the clothes away, leaving the photographs out of reach for the time being as per Rin's order.

"But what will she have to comfort her?" questioned Choji worriedly.

"I'm afraid we must take all potential weapons or means to harm herself from the room," Rin informed them, her tone only vaguely apologetic. That tone transformed to disapproval when she continued with a sigh, "Forcing someone to go cold turkey can be dangerous – the desperation Yamanaka-san is going to experience could drive her to do anything, including self-harm. It could cause hallucinations and even cardiovascular collapse, depending on how badly this hits her."

The pyjamas in her hands fell to the ground, green eyes darting to Rin's. "Cardiovascular…"

"What does that mean?" Choji questioned.

"It means her heart could stop," answered Itachi.

Which was why he'd been against their plan from the get-go.

She was shaking when he approached her, scooping to pick up the article of clothing.

"M-Maybe this wasn't such a good idea–"

"We can't back out now," argued Shikamaru with obvious frustration. But just as it was obvious he was annoyed, she could see the worry in his eyes, too. He was just as scared as her. "She still needs help."

His naïve words seemed to aggravate Rin, however. "There are institutions that specialise in this kind of treatment–"

"That she could just leave–"

"Oi," reprimanded Obito as he seemed to suddenly reappear in the room, knocking Shikamaru over the head with a careless tap of his knuckles and leaving him to wince and tsk under his breath, rubbing the spot. "My wife's going out of her way to help your friend. Withdrawal can be fatal in some cases, but Rin's gonna do all she can to save her if it comes down to that. Show more respect."

"_Obito,"_ called Shisui from downstairs in the living room. _"Your phone is ringing. Looks like it's the station."_

He left while muttering under his breath about an idiot Kakashi getting on his nerves, but her attention was focused heavily on Ino and Rin, the tears from earlier returning with a vengeance.

"What…" She swallowed hard to try and control the vicious aching in her throat and she was grateful when Itachi took her hand while they were hidden from view, offering her some of his own strength. "What do we do if it gets…?"

"To that stage?" Rin finished for her. Glancing over her shoulder at them all, she settled them with a serious, no-nonsense expression, saying seriously, "I _will_ be taking Yamanaka-san to the hospital for round the clock monitoring. I understand you wish to keep her chances of walking away from treatment as small as possible but understand that _I_ am the doctor here and I'll do whatever I must to save a patient's life."

"You–"

There was an irritable sigh from beside her, followed by a gentle stroke of a thumb on her knuckles before he pulled away. "Please forgive Nara-san and Akimichi-san, Rin-san."

She returned to unpacking Ino's belongings with shaking hands, fear making her heart feel as though it was seizing in her chest, unable to beat properly because the size of her lungs was suddenly expanding, taking up all of the room in her chest and–

"I-Itachi, I can't… b-breathe."

Once more, Itachi was by her side, uncaring for their audience as he guided her into turning and leaning back on the dresser, hands gently cupping her cheeks.

"Look at me," he ordered calmly.

"No, sh-she…" Gods, had her breathing always sounded like that? So… So hoarse and short? "Ino's gonna d-die!"

"No, she won't."

"She will! You h-heard her. She…" Itachi caught her just as her legs crumbled from beneath her and Sakura flinched when she felt a second set of hands on her, the sight of calming brown eyes somehow setting her further on edge. "Ino's gonna die. She can't – I-I mean we–"

"Look at me, Sakura-chan," advised Rin, stepping between her and Itachi. It was with a pitiful whine that she clung to him, mind not even focusing on the others or how they would perceive her need for him. All that mattered was that he didn't let go. _He would never let go. He'd promised._ "Please, look at me."

With a fearful gaze, she did so.

The brunette smiled warmly and cupped her cheek, keeping their eyes locked. "Have you ever had a panic attack before?" It was Itachi who responded for her, as apparently, her voice was lost to the wheezing. "So you know already that it passes – focus on that for me, okay? Remember that this _will_ pass."

It was hard holding onto that whenever her gaze strayed the tiniest bit to the right, showing her an unconscious Ino and–

Was her chest still? Why couldn't she hear her breathing?

Desperately, she lunged forward, only to cry out when Itachi carefully restrained her, keeping her against him.

"It's okay," she vaguely heard Rin tell the others. "Don't come any closer or overcrowd her – we've got this."

"You're okay," Itachi told her quietly, bringing her ear over his heart, filling her head with the steady beating. "It will pass."

_It will pass._

_It will pass._

_She will pass–_

Was it because of her weak legs that they slowly lowered themselves to the ground, or had Itachi forced them to do so? Did it matter? Yes. It did. It mattered because she couldn't see Ino anymore – _was she breathing?_

"Sakura-chan," Rin spoke up, repeating her name several times until she managed to catch her eye, holding her gaze. "How about we close our eyes?"

Close her eyes? When Ino needed her?

"Please?"

"I will watch over her, Sakura," Itachi assured her and she knew she could trust him. He knew better than anyone how dearly she loved her friends, no matter how badly they hurt her.

With a quick, jerky nod, she focused on Rin before shutting her eyes, fingers tangling in the arms of Itachi's sweatshirt as she felt her senses heightening beyond the point of being painful.

"We're going to do a breathing exercise – I'll count for you for now, but I want you to start counting with me when you feel ready to, okay?"

Another nod.

It took a while until she was able to count with her, even longer for Sakura to be able to say every number clearly and calmly. Her mind was slow in calming, unable to focus on anything other than her inability to breathe comfortably, telling her that it was because Ino _wasn't_ breathing and–

No. She _was_ breathing.

By the time she reopened her eyes, Rin was kneeling before her, a gentle smile in her eyes. "Is it a little easier to manage now?"

Not gone. Not magically healed. Easier to manage.

That…

That was the perfect way to describe how she felt at that moment in time.

"Thank you," she told the older woman earnestly. Glancing at the man still holding onto her comfortingly, she smiled shakily. "Both of you."

"Don't thank them yet," muttered Shikamaru uneasily and he stepped in front of them, almost like he was shielding them from seeing Ino. "She's waking up."

Rin frowned prettily and stood up, approaching the bed. "I would suggest leaving the room for now, Sakura-chan."

"But–"

"Your own mental state should be taken into consideration–"

"No, I'm not leaving her," she snapped and stood up, Itachi a second behind her and keeping her steady. To prove she was capable of handling it, however (because Ino needed her and she couldn't let her deteriorate to the point of her heart stopping – she had to be there every second of her rehabilitation, strong enough to support her), she stepped away from him, fingers tenderly grazing his to silently thank him for his support. "I get I've been a bad friend up until this point, but I'm here now. I'll do whatever I have to, to get through that thick skull of hers!"

They weren't given the chance to continue their disagreement, for the sound of Ino's groaning had them turning to face her, watching closely as she languidly turned onto her side, intent on snuggling into the fluffy pillow that was usually on her bed.

When she was met by cool cotton, blue eyes flew open, only growing more horrified at the sight of so many people in the strange bedroom.

"Where the hell am I? What do you think you're doing?" She met Sakura's gaze and she flinched at the distrust in them, especially when Ino reached up, wincing as she touched her face. "Y-You…!"

They should have confronted her without Shisui, Obito and Itachi, really (she wasn't sure when the other two had returned, but they were suddenly there and passed it off as happening during her panic attack). Rin was able to stay due to her being a doctor and a trusted figure – Ino would know she was safe with her. However, the rest of them were touch and go. There was the chance she would feel safe seeing Choji and Shikamaru, but there was also the chance of her being scared because deep down, she would expect something like their plan from them.

As for herself…

She stepped around Rin despite the others looking to her disbelievingly, her calm façade unsettling them, considering just moments before she'd been an utter wreck.

_But right now, she wasn't allowed to be a wreck, because her best friend needed her._

"How are you feeling?"

"How the hell do you think?" she demanded, trying to stand. Apparently she was still far too drunk, because Ino fell back into the bed, her blanket falling carelessly behind her. "Where am I?"

Shikamaru approached at the question, but tensed when her distrustful gaze pierced him, forcing him to stop. "Think of it as a rehab, of sorts."

"You need help, Ino," Choji told her solemnly. His features were downcast, though his pain didn't seem to affect Ino in the least as she snarled at them all in return.

"Rehab?"

"Yeah," lied Sakura. If they told her that it wasn't an official rehab, she would plot an escape. If Ino believed it was a real rehab, then the fight to escape would surely leave her until she was _really_ hitting rock bottom. "You're going cold turkey. No more drinking."

None of them were prepared for her reaction to the words, those stunning blue eyes tinged red as they darted around them, growing wider by the second until rage caused her once beautiful features to twist. She looked almost deranged and apparently, it was Sakura who would take the brunt of the anger, because when she spoke again, her attention was focused solely on her.

"Have you gone insane?" she screamed at Sakura, face flushing red.

Shisui moved to step into the room, but she shook her head at him, frowning.

No. It had to be her.

They were like sisters.

"You're doing this because of Sasuke-kun, aren't you?" Ino went onto demand, making the other Uchiha in the room either watch her warily or in shock. "You're upset that he _liked_ the pictures I sent him, that he enjoyed my attention and my body." Ignoring Choji's shocked whisper of her name, ignoring Shikamaru's snapping at her to stop the manipulative act, Ino continued nastily even though she couldn't stand by herself, smirking as she muttered, "You wish he'd look at you the way he looks at me, don't you?"

Once more, Ino tried to stand and for a moment, she could, fuelled by her fury and betrayal, but then the second she tried putting one foot in front of the other, she collapsed to the ground.

They didn't move to help her, though only because Sakura ordered them not to get involved, keeping her eyes from meeting any of the others' partly out of shame. She could feel them staring, however. Demanding to know what the hell was going through her mind, demanding answers, wanting to know if there was any truth behind Ino's heartless words.

"You're nothing but a frigid, uptight _bitch_, Sakura," she snarled from her place on the ground, unaffected by Sakura as she stared down at her stoically, doing her utmost to mask her hurt, because _fuck it was killing her_. "You bored Sasuke-kun out of your relationship – it's why he never pushes me away and now you're jealous and you're trying to get back at me and–"

Despite the vicious onslaught and the humiliation of it being in front of the others, Sakura calmly knelt before the shaking blonde during her rant, hands coming to rest on her knees for balance.

_She had to make her pause long enough to take notice of them._

"Ino."

"What?" she screeched horrifically, red in the face and chest. There was even a bit of spit that left her only to be wiped away harshly, like part of Ino was still in there, feeling embarrassed about her situation.

Green eyes searched the face she'd once been so envious of, taking in the bloodshot eyes, the breakouts, the rushed makeup that was half sweated and rubbed off, the spit on her chin that she'd somehow missed.

"I'd rather be frigid and uptight than a hopeless, alcoholic slut who can't even control herself anymore."

The words made her freeze and she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her.

"What the…?" Her voice was meek, eyes wide and fixed on hers, her tirade shattered by the sudden shift in Sakura's cold personality (they were all stunned, really) – something Ino had never witnessed before. Until that point, she'd always been so forgiving, always allowing the blonde to stomp her way over her in one way or another. But not anymore. And it was about time Ino realised that, Sakura thought darkly. "I…"

The calmness of her actions was obviously unnerving for everyone, especially when she reached out and tenderly cupped Ino's bruised cheek, soon bringing her head to her lap when she fell back to lean against the bed, stroking the blonde locks almost subconsciously, like she was on autopilot.

There was no mistaking the tension in Ino's body.

"Ino?"

"M-Mhm?"

"If you ever go near my boyfriend again, I will happily break you far worse than what you already are."


	26. I'll Only Hurt You If You Let Me

**Chapter 26**

**I'll Only Hurt You If You Let Me**

* * *

They'd decided to take turns in watching over Ino, though for the first night, they all remained at Obito and Rin's home, undoubtedly getting on their nerves by overcrowding the couple in their own home. They never said a word about it, though and she commended them for the comforting hospitality despite the invasion.

While sobering up, Ino vehemently refused to talk to anyone. Instead, she glared and snarled and outright ignored them. If they left water or food on the dresser for her, then it would still be there when they returned, completely untouched.

Sitting outside Ino's temporary bedroom, Sakura relaxed against the wall, head falling into her hands.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask her. Such a strong _need_ to demand what the hell was going through that head of hers regarding so many different things. Then, there was the anger. The anger that made her want to storm into the bedroom and beat the sense back into her for hurting her own mother so maliciously.

But instead of doing any of that, Sakura remained outside and torn, unable to decide what she wanted.

While she wanted her answers, what if it was too much for her to handle? What if something _had_ happened between Sasuke and Ino? Would she even have the right to leave him or be angry, considering her feelings for Itachi and her inability to stay away from him? After already promising to move on from it all, would it seem cold-hearted of her to walk away if they _had_ slept together? Would she even walk away?

Sakura took a deep breath and allowed her knees to come up to her chest, forehead pressing to them without a second thought for how pitiful she would look.

Sasuke had promised her nothing happened between them and she _was_ inclined to believe him due to his disliking of sexual attention. It took the longest time for him to open up to her in such a way and still, they ran into issues with what he was comfortable with – like the incident at the party, where she'd tried to kiss him only for Sasuke to reject her in front of everyone. He hadn't felt comfortable then and she'd failed miserably to read his cues. If he was uneasy kissing his girlfriend of five years in front of people, then how the hell was he supposed to feel comfortable sleeping with said girlfriend's train wreck of a best friend?

As upsetting as it was to consider it: if Sasuke _was_ going to cheat, Sakura knew it wouldn't be with Ino. With her drunkenness and inability to keep her damn mouth shut, she was too likely to boast about it all and have the affair revealed. Hell, with the way she was spiralling, she probably would've revealed it herself just for the drama.

The sound of someone sighing had Sakura looking up helplessly, dimples forming in her chin when Shisui sat opposite her in the cramped hallway. Unlike herself, who was perfectly content with sitting in such a crumpled-up position, Shisui was unable to and had to stretch out his legs, allowing them to come to either side of her like he was caging her in, his feet almost touching the other wall.

"I was hard on you earlier." Sakura nodded, gaze dropping to the little space between them. "Instead of isolating you further by being so preachy, I should have made myself more open so that you know you can come to me." When she remained silent, it prompted him to say with a nudge of his foot to her hip, "Because you can, you know. You can talk to me about it."

Could she? When he already admitted to being so hard on her about it all? How was she supposed to feel comfortable with opening her heart to him in such a massive way, leaving herself so open and vulnerable to harsh questions that she just couldn't answer? What if he judged her? Was she able to handle it? Sakura didn't think she was.

Just as she opened her mouth, not really knowing what the hell she was actually thinking of saying, he asked without warning, "Do you believe there's any truth to her words?"

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath, thankful that her chest was clear of pains because she truly didn't believe she was able to handle another panic attack. Not so soon after the last, anyway. "Between Ino and Sasuke-kun?" Shisui nodded once and she felt her stomach plummet. "I… don't know."

Something saddened in his gaze. "There was a time when everyone's answer would have been so certain."

Yes, there was. It killed her a little inside knowing that Sasuke had slipped away from them in such a silent way, leaving them all to wonder when the hell it'd happened or how.

"Do you want my honest opinion?"

_Not really._

For some reason unknown to Sakura, she nodded wordlessly.

"I once believed I knew everything there was to know about Sasuke," murmured Shisui. Bending one leg, he slung an arm over his knee, assessing her for a moment before sighing. "Before finding out what'd been happening, I would have said without a shred of doubt that Sasuke would never hurt you – it's obvious to anyone who knows him that he loves you."

It was?

Sakura dropped her forehead to her knees as the revelation brought tears to her eyes, because it didn't fill her with joy like it used to. Gods, even six months ago, she would have killed to hear somebody say something like that to her, but in that moment, she felt more lost than ever.

"How did this even happen?" he questioned quietly, sounding like it was something he'd been asking himself repeatedly.

There was no stopping the shaking of her shoulders when she went to shrug, the weight of her helplessness leaving her scrambling for even an ounce of her control back.

Where had the strong woman from only a few hours ago gone? The one who'd so effortlessly threatened to break Ino? Why was she suddenly so weak? Unable to even look Shisui in the eye as they discussed her relationship's downfall?

"Sakura-chan."

Weakly, she shook her head like she was trying to block out his voice, quietly sobbing into her knees, arms coming up to shield her head seconds later.

In her pitiful state, she didn't sense him move until he was reaching out for her, allowing Sakura to lean against him heavily and cry. She tried to remain silent, not wanting Ino to hear or potentially use anything against her, but it was close to impossible, especially when Shisui wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his side, like he was capable of shielding her from all the bad things in the world.

"How bad is it?"

"B-Bad," she whimpered before she could stop herself. Then, because she'd already started, she continued in an uneven voice, "But he's not…"

"Always like that?" Sakura nodded quickly. "Does he hurt you, Sakura-chan?"

No, she couldn't. She couldn't talk about it. It was making her skin crawl and it felt like she was going to pass out from the panic that was determinedly washing over her, trying to suffocate her under its waves.

The arm around her tightened its hold.

It was when she sucked in a shallow, wheezing breath that he shockingly asked her, "Do you want me to get Itachi for you?"

The question caused her to freeze, body tensing and she damned herself for giving such a reaction, because it was undoubtedly suspicious, wasn't it? An innocent person didn't give such a strong reaction to such a simple question, did they?

"He's… really helped you, hasn't he?"

There was no suspicion in his voice, only acceptance and it had her hesitantly pulling back to glance up at him with bloodshot eyes, expression crumbling at the cautious understanding in his gaze, like he was trying his utmost not to scare her away again.

"I'm not going to ask questions," he said while lowering his voice considerably, sparing a quick glance at the bottom of Ino's door to ensure she wasn't listening. Just the thought had Sakura gripping at him worriedly because what if she _had_ overheard something? They'd taken her phone, right? "I think it's messy enough without my input, just…" She met his eye warily, ready for _some_ kind of shaming, but instead, Shisui said, "Please be careful, Sakura-chan. If Sasuke's exploding over small things, there's no telling what he'd do if he found out."

Like she didn't already know that!

Sasuke adored Itachi. As much as he tried to act like he'd moved on from that childish awe, he hadn't. Anger and jealousy were often mixed in with it all, but deep down, he still admired Itachi and loved him.

"I-I'm scum," she whispered harshly and tried to pull away, because _Gods_, she was burning up from the shame.

But Shisui held on tight, keeping her with him. The only change in their position he made was tipping her head back to meet his steady, certain gaze. "No, you're not. You're stuck in a shitty situation and found a glimpse of happiness and companionship." When she sobbed silently, he sighed and his expression softened. "Is it messed up? I don't know. I don't know enough about any of it to have a say in the matter – no-one does other than the three of you. But what I do know is that you deserve better than being knocked around by my idiotic little cousin. What I _do_ know is that Itachi loves Sasuke more than anything and he's the most selfless person I know. He's never put himself first.

"Just knowing that he's going against everything he believes in – everything I know about him – scares the hell out of me, Sakura-chan, because what does that mean for you and your future?"

The question chilled her to the bone.

"He's not the type of guy who gives into temptation – you know that yourself, from that single year you shared in high school together and the vacations you took with the family." She didn't even have the strength to nod along because she was so frightened. It was like the pieces were finally falling into place and she _understood_ Itachi for the first time ever. "And Sasuke has always been his top priority. Do you remember?"

Yes. She did. She could remember everything.

"I think he's scared – not for himself, but for you and perhaps for Sasuke, too," Shisui told her earnestly. "He's always had front row seats to the abuse his mother endures, and he's always been helpless to stop it. Even now as an adult, he can't do much. But in this situation, he's able to step in and do something for the first time in his life. He's sacrificing his relationship with Sasuke for the sake of saving you from ending up like his mother and continuing the cycle."

And he'd been giving one hell of a fight, refusing to be pushed aside or ignored. He refused to give in or go away.

"I believe that is why I was so hard on you earlier," he continued in a quiet murmur, frowning. "I mean, I've seen you grow up, in a way. You and Sasuke have been joined at the hip for the longest time. Just the thought of you suffering a fate similar to Mikoto-oba's is too much, but to hear it has been happening? That it _is_ happening? That _Itachi_ is scared?"

But… "He really doesn't mean it," she tried to explain again, weakly. "Something's not right with him. Mentally, I mean."

"Which is why he's seeing a therapist, right?"

She nodded.

"Then…" Shisui sighed again, leaning back against the cream wall and eyeing the photographs on the wall opposite them with a distant look in his eyes. A quick glance showed her a trio of friends – Obito and Rin being two of them – hanging out together with a group of dogs. She didn't care enough to keep looking, though. The conversation was too much to allow her focus to slip. "I'll support him, too. But know that I won't stand back like I've grown used to with Mikoto-oba, Sakura-chan. If I see him do anything, I'm stepping in for you. Somebody has to."

"Itachi _has_ been-" She cut herself off, grimacing at how loud she'd been. Lowering her voice considerably, Sakura mumbled, "Itachi's intervened before and he's warned Sasuke-kun. But Sasuke-kun's also gone to him about the night–" Again, she cut herself off, unable to continue, the memories of Ino using her confession against her making it impossible to trust the truth with another.

And it seemed Shisui could sense that too, since he sent a dark glower over to the door they were guarding. It was gone when their eyes met once more, thankfully.

"I won't ask. I won't make assumptions." Despite the words she was most grateful to hear, he looked like he wanted to say the exact opposite, his discomfort obvious. "But remember you can come to me about anything. I know what it's like to need a break from my family, so if you want to fall off the map for a while, come to me and I won't even ask questions, okay?"

That was…

That was exactly what she needed _and wanted_. She _wanted_ to fall off the grid for a while, to disappear without a trace and recuperate at her own pace.

But…

"I've already been selfish enough with…" She couldn't even say his name and it had her scoffing inwardly about how much of a coward she was. "I can't abandon Sasuke-kun completely. He told me he needs me."

Although it was draining mentally, Sakura found that she was thankful for the conversation, the weight of her bond with Itachi slipping just the tiniest amount as she discovered it wasn't fuelled by lust.

Or did the fact that it had such depth make it worse?

"So, then, what now?" he asked her, not unkindly. There was a gentleness to his tone like he knew how hard the question would hit her, so was doing his utmost to soften the blow. "What if Sasuke always needs you? You've seen the strain the abuse has on Mikoto-oba and truth be told, I don't think she'd even be here today if it weren't for her sons."

"Then…"

When she trailed off, he frowned. "What if you always need Itachi?"

The question made her heart seize before it resumed a painful pounding.

"As selfless as his intentions started out, there's real feelings developing between you both." Shisui returned to looking at the photographs, giving her the break she needed from his worried stare. "And eventually the truth will come out." But then to her horror, he looked back at her just in time to see her fear written all over her face. "But you already know that, don't you?"

Movement from Ino's room captured her attention and Sakura immediately pushed everything else to the back of her mind, gently pulling away from Shisui's comforting hold.

"Ino-Pig?" she called out, hand coming to the door handle. She listened carefully while kneeling beside the door, frowning in concentration. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

No answer.

And then she heard pitiful retching.

Sighing, Sakura stood up and pushed down on the handle, determined on being there in her best friend's darkest hour, but before she could leave, Shisui grabbed her arm, also standing.

"Be careful, Sakura-chan." He glanced at the door that was open just a crack and frowned. "Both in there and with everything else."

She didn't answer, instead slipping inside and shutting the door to respect Ino's privacy.

The lights were dimmed when she entered – no doubt in response to her hangover, if Ino even suffered from them anymore (though, saying that, she supposed her friend had always been too drunk to tell, since she was never without a drink) – but she could still see the pathetic shape in the corner of the room clutching the bucket close to her chest, heaving and whimpering into it.

Grabbing the water from the nightstand, Sakura approached calmly and sat beside her, only hesitating for a brief second before she was reaching out and pulling the once luscious blonde hair back and into a ponytail, leaving the water to rest next to them.

"Go away," she ordered weakly, only to be interrupted from saying more as she resumed the heaving.

That time, however, she managed to finally vomit something up and Sakura grimaced at the smell. She said nothing, though and continued to hold back her hair until she sighed and pulled her own hair tie out to tie Ino's up with.

The grip on the bucket was unyielding, her knuckles turning white under the strain and when Sakura allowed her gaze to travel up her arms, she sighed sadly at the sight of scratch marks. Rin had said it was a possibility – a nervous tick – and wasn't necessarily Ino self-harming but to see the bloodied mess really had it all hitting home for her.

"Th-This is insanity," she eventually managed to grumble into the bucket.

Insanity? Their wanting to help her? Really? "No, what's insane is you attacking your own mom–"

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about–"

"Then _tell me_," stressed Sakura, exploding with her frustration. "Tell me what happened to get you in this state."

There was a bitter chuckle, but even as Ino dragged herself over to the bed, she remained pathetic in appearance and collapsed just beside it, leaning back against the bed with a groan. Sakura was quick to follow with the bucket and water, handing the latter to her. For the first time since kidnapping her, she finally drank something.

"Why should I tell you anything?" she questioned between sips, glaring up at her from over the glass. Her blue eyes were piercing in that moment, accusing. They _screamed_ her abandonment without a shred of hesitancy, and it felt like a slice at her heart. "You don't care unless it involves Sasuke-kun–"

"Oh, and look at that," retorted Sakura with a snarl. "It _does_ involve my boyfriend."

The replacement of his name was done possessively, and she knew it was a mistake when Ino gave a cruel smirk, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Bit territorial, huh? I wonder why?"

Gods, she should have kept her mouth shut.

Eyeing the door, Sakura wondered how her leaving would affect Ino before deciding against it. It was running from the problem that landed the blonde in her current predicament.

No, she had to face it head on, had to confront their problems if they wanted even a shred of hope in moving on from it all. Whether they remained friends or not was unknown to her – although it was more _not_ until she learned the truth – but regardless of their friendship status, they had to face the problem together. As a team. Ino needed her friends and family to overcome her addiction. That included her, even if they didn't want it to.

"How could you do it?" she questioned suddenly in a whisper, eyes tight.

"Do what?"

How could she be so casual and uncaring? Surely Ino knew exactly what she was talking about? Unless she'd done other things to warrant that kind of question?

Sakura's chest squeezed tight.

"Send those pictures. Go after Sasuke-kun knowing how much I love him."

"How do you know it never went further?"

She narrowed her eyes on Ino's cold features, searching them for several moments but when she found nothing, she gave up, saying even though her head disagreed, "Because even you're not that heartless."

"And he is?"

She had her there, she supposed and Sakura quickly gave up on her argument, trailing off with a weak, "Sasuke-kun is…"

It was Ino's turn to explode with a quickly mounting frustration it seemed, slamming down her sick bucket. "He tried to _rape_ you, Sakura. Do you really think he's immune to temptation?"

No. That was way too loud. People were listening out for Ino to ensure she didn't hurt herself and Sakura _knew_ they would have heard her yelling.

Green eyes shot to the door, wide and fearful because any minute, she knew they would all pile in, demanding answers and judging her. They would either side with Sasuke and call her a liar, or side with her and damn him – but she didn't want there to be sides! She didn't want anyone to know.

"I-I shouldn't have told you that," Sakura barely managed to whisper, trying to scramble up to her feet. "I lied. It was a lie. Sasuke-kun didn't… H-He wouldn't ever-"

Clammy hands grabbed at her wrists and she winced as her back was slammed to the ground, though the pain was quickly forgotten about when Ino pinned her effortlessly even in her weakened state, straddling her painfully.

"You lied my ass," she snarled. Sakura grimaced when she leaned forward to close the distance between their faces, the smell of her vomit mixing with the alcohol and turning her stomach. "You idolise Sasuke-kun – you have no reason to make something like that up when you only see the best in him!"

She couldn't breathe.

The weight on her was too much and Sakura whimpered when her legs were parted forcefully. Ino's face was full of cold fury and it showed in her grip on her, also, but the biting pain on her wrists only doubled when she struggled against it.

She couldn't breathe.

"You think I'm the one who's messed up?" she demanded in a low murmur, nose bumping against hers. "You think I'm the one who's fucked up? Look at you! Look at what he's done to you and _still you're defending him!"_

_She couldn't breathe._

"Was this how he did it?" she questioned and much to Sakura's horror, she pushed their hips together. "Is it assault now?"

"S-Stop, I–"

_She couldn't breathe._

_She couldn't breathe!_

Bile – thick, excruciating bile – threatened to choke her as Ino's grip shifted quickly, pinning her wrists above her head with one hand, the other settling just below her breast.

"Does it count as assault now?"she demanded shrilly, eyes wide and deranged. "Does it finally count as assault now because it's not Sasuke-kun doing it?"

Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she fight back? It was like she was frozen beneath Ino, unable to look away from the hateful, tearful–

_Why was she crying?_

"_Why can't you see this is abuse, you fucking idiot–"_

Her hand grabbed her breast, squeezing harshly.

The weight vanished the second the hallway's light spilled into the room and Sakura sobbed with relief.

"Enough!"

"Ino, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Ignoring the hands that reached out for her, she turned and scrambled away from Ino's shrieks for her to face the reality of the situation. She stumbled out of the room doing her best to ignore the wailing of her being such a fucking hypocrite.

"_Maybe it's best if you think we fucked,"_ she heard Ino continuing to scream, even as she sobbed herself. "_Maybe then you'll finally leave him!"_

A hand caught her just as her heel slipped on the top step of the stairs, yanking her back and into a firm chest and the feeling of familiarity, at the comforting smell of _home_, she found herself giving in entirely to the weight of her emotions, clinging to Itachi desperately and hindering his movement as he worked on getting them away from Ino's cruel words.

"Take my car," she vaguely heard Shisui tell Itachi. "Get her out of here."

She'd gotten her answers: Ino and Sasuke _hadn't_ slept together. But at what cost? Was it worth…?

When the sobbing dissolved into full blown hysteria complete with retching, Itachi swiftly pulled over beside a field and got out, though she wasn't alone for long as the passenger door opened and he tugged her to her feet, holding her securely, murmuring soft words of comfort and apologies into her ear.

Ino had just…

She'd just…

It wasn't a panic attack – Sakura could tell by the simple fact that she _knew_ she could breathe – but it felt like one. It felt like Ino had savagely ripped her chest open and clawed at her heart with those monstrously long, pointed nails of hers.

"I-I know," she snapped in response to Ino's demands even though they weren't even within a mile radius of the blonde anymore. "I know already!"

Sasuke had assaulted her. He'd tried to force himself on her. Sakura had known that from the moment it happened – she'd never lied to herself about any of it, always saying that _no meant no_. But the fact that Ino believed she didn't realise it was assault simply because they were still together was…

Gods, how messed up was she to defend the guy who'd tried to rape her?

No, she wasn't messed up. She was open-minded. She'd witnessed first-hand how badly it all screwed with Sasuke's head and how badly he was struggling and–

"You like watching the stars."

It was meant as a question. She knew it was. So Sakura nodded quickly, keeping a tight hold of Itachi as he guided her to the front of Shisui's car, sitting her on the hood.

"It is clear out here," he informed her gently and sat beside her.

When she flinched as he tried to lean her back so they would be looking up at the sky, Itachi ceased the action and instead they both sat on the hood of the car, not even looking at the stars as Sakura's wide eyed gaze remained fixated on the never ending road, her mind travelling at a mile a minute.

The road was like her situation, wasn't it? No matter what happened, she kept trudging forward because the trees that lined her road obscured her view, hiding all the different paths that would allow her to change her destination. And even though she was aware of the other paths, she was too scared to stray into the dark forest because the road was a sure thing. She could see straight ahead and knew what to expect.

Even though she sensed him laying back to look up at the night sky, Sakura didn't look at him or the stars. She also didn't join him. Instead, her feet planted on the cold hood, knees drawing up to her chest, arms locking around her legs to hold them in place.

"Are you cold?"

She couldn't answer.

Regardless, a jacket fell over her shoulders and Itachi sighed. "What she did–"

"Please," she croaked, trembling faintly. "D-Don't."

What had she done in a previous life that gave her such a shitty existence? That allowed her friends and family to walk all over her, hurting her whenever they felt like it? Was she some kind of corrupt leader who tortured and slaughtered millions? Because seriously, she must have done something to deserve it.

"I can't do this anymore," she whispered brokenly. Lips turning downwards at the corner, she watched the road ahead with tunnel vision, the trees blurring and further obscuring her options. "Any of it. I can't do any of it anymore."

Opening up to Ino had been a huge mistake. It didn't matter that she was once like a sister to her – she'd proven that evening that not only was she not to be trusted, but she was more than capable and willing to hurt her (even for something as simple as proving a point).

There was no going back for their friendship. Not after what she'd done.

Part of Sakura even wished she _had_ slept with Sasuke. How messed up with that? It wasn't even for a good enough reason to hate him, but instead for–

Damn it, she was doing it again.

Swallowing hard, she finally tipped her head back far enough to look up at the stars and at the sight of them, she felt envy swelling within her. They were just… _there_. Existing peacefully, revealing themselves whenever they wanted to or whenever possible, considering the amount of pollution in the world. Though, she supposed that was a nice way of viewing it, wasn't it? That, despite the horrendous pollution (even though their planet's avoidable destruction didn't actually bother those stars) they were still there, shining brightly, breaking their way through the death clouds.

They were so beautiful.

He was toxic. Absolutely, heartbreakingly toxic. But like with the planet's pollution, there was still time to change their fate – they could change everything if they worked hard enough, if they wanted it badly enough.

"Shisui said…" She breathed in deeply and released the air in a sigh. "He said Mikoto-san would have given up long ago, had she not had her sons."

Was she already at that point of giving up? Was she in fact weaker than Mikoto for her continuous wishes of wanting to disappear? To escape her cruel reality? Merely leaving him wasn't an option due to how emotionally weak she was – she loved him and he needed her, so at some point, Sakura knew she would cave and seek him out, just as she had when they went on their break.

No, she needed a more permanent solution, didn't she? She needed a definite escape.

Tiredly, she lowered her gaze, almost forgetting about Itachi entirely as she tried to see what was at the end of the road. It was too dark without any streetlamps, though. The only reason she could see as far as she could was due to the headlights of the car, which hadn't been shut off when Itachi had pulled over hurriedly.

"He's right," answered Itachi, voice quiet. She felt more than saw him shift beside her, hands coming to rest behind him as he followed her line of sight. "There is not much for her to live for other than us."

It was a cold thing to say, but Sakura knew that it was also the truth. "She has her job–"

"A distraction. It is not what she truly enjoys. Then again, there isn't much she enjoys anymore."

Ballet was once her passion, Sakura recalled from a previous conversation with Itachi, but that had been mercilessly stripped from her in one of the cruellest ways possible. All because she'd wanted to share her love with her child.

"I wouldn't hate her if that was what she chose," Itachi confessed after a few silent moments. "I'm nothing more than a witness to her inescapable suffering, but I can see how immense it is. Even when I try to intervene, the abuse is merely postponed."

Tears once more filled her eyes, but Sakura did nothing to stop them from falling as they blurred her view of the road.

He was the stars, she decided in that moment.

If Sasuke was the pollution, then Itachi was the stars. No matter how bad it got, no matter how severe the damage was, the stars remained up there in the sky, shining even if they couldn't see them.

And she was the idiot wandering blindly down the road, blinded by the pollution.

Proof of how blinded she was, was the fact that, around Sasuke, she eventually forgot about the negative feelings when he showered her with even the smallest amount of affection, similar to how they brushed off how their latest gadgets or cars wrecked the environment. But as soon as she saw those stars, it hit home how destructive it all was. She realised how far they'd fallen.

_But there was still time to change._

"Were you telling the truth?" he asked without looking at her, uncomfortably mirroring her thoughts. "Is Sasuke seeing a therapist?"

She nodded.

"That is already a step our father has never taken," murmured Itachi.

In some cases, even pollution was capable of being reversed.

"Do you think he can do it?" she asked, voice thick with emotion. "Can he change?"

The silence was more uncomfortable than his thoughts lining up with hers, the fact that he truly had to think it over leaving her a little hollow on the inside.

"Nothing is ever set in stone," Itachi said after a long pause. The way he looked to her was almost reluctantly, the finality in his stare bringing forth a powerful sob that she couldn't smother completely. "Everyone – everything – has the ability of changing."

In order to reverse the pollution, she would have to go to the worst affected area and go from there, meaning there was no chance of seeing the stars for the healing process. Even a single moment of weakness would be detrimental, putting the whole process at risk.

And he knew that too.

"What if I can't handle it?"

What if those feelings grew stronger and impossible to ignore? What if she couldn't keep trudging forward down that road and gave up?

"I will still be here."

Like the stars shining stubbornly, untouched by the pollution.

It felt like her entire body shook when Itachi allowed her to lean against him, embracing her with one arm until his other came up and tilted her head in his direction. Then, their foreheads thumped together and she shut her eyes, basking in the beauty of the stars.

They sat there for the longest time, holding one another, soaking in the others presence for the final time until she turned her body to face him fully and buried her face in his chest, inhaling that comforting smell that was so much like home that it killed her a little on the inside. She was terrified for the moment they parted, for the moment when everything between them was over and she was totally submerged by the pollution, but it had to happen.

For _all_ their sakes.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**Is This All We Have?**

* * *

"Did something happen?"

Shaking her head with a weak smile, Sakura clambered into the bed with a swell of unease – one she couldn't explain to him even if she tried.

He tried to understand, though. Gods, it was obvious he was trying so damn hard to understand. It was in his face as Sasuke came to sit beside her on the bed, watching her closely like she was about to shatter into a thousand pieces if he wasn't careful enough with her. And the saddest part about his hesitancy was that she would. She _was_ breaking.

"Do you…" He glanced down at the space between them, frowning. "Do you want to talk about it?"

_Not really_, she wanted to say. The irrational side of her wanted to say that he wasn't to talk to, look at or so much as _think_ about Ino again. Talking about her or even hinting at her was out of the question, also. But to do that was wrong, Sakura knew – it was potentially just as abusive as everything that had been happening up until that point and she could never do that to him. She didn't want to become yet another person in his life who controlled what he did, said or thought.

Gods, it was a tempting thought, though.

"There's no coming back from tonight," she told him, swallowing hard. "Ino… She…"

His frown slowly shifted to a scowl as suspicions seeped into his mind and she had to look away. "What did she do?"

No, she couldn't say it. If she did, she'd break down all over again and share way too much with Sasuke. What would he say if she told him how much she shared with Ino? What would he _do? _It was too scary to find out.

But…

She had to be brave, right? For them to be able to move past it all, they had to be honest, right?

Fear wrapped itself around her throat in the shape of a hand when Sakura met his wary gaze once more and no amount of swallowing eased the tension. She could only stare at him for the longest time, something in her expression making Sasuke uneasy and stunning her when he frowned.

"I'll regain your trust one day," he promised her. "Don't feel like you have to force yourself to talk."

She'd always known that he was capable of seeing right through her. "It's just…" Tears threatened to fill her eyes, but she forced them back with a fierce firming of her down-turning lips, for she was _so sick_ of crying about people hurting her. "I-Ino… She did something tonight. To me. And… I froze."

The frown deepened and Sakura was horrified to see how much Sasuke looked like Fugaku in that moment, the sight of her boyfriend twisting her stomach sickeningly. Why hadn't she ever noticed the similarities between father and son when both were angered? Why had she always been so blinded by it?

"What did she do to you?"

_Be honest._

_Trust him._

But the words wouldn't form. _Why_ wouldn't they form? Why were they getting trapped, knotting in her chest, building and tightening and _killing her_–

"Sakura?"

_Tell him._

"I…"

The stammering was matched by an intense shaking of her hands, one that captured Sasuke's attention instantly and at his frown, she assumed that he would snap at her to get a grip, to stop being so weak. However, he surprised her in shuffling forward unsurely and reaching out, taking her hands, steadying them in his firm, warm grip.

"Breathe with me," he ordered quietly, seemingly mindful of the volume and tone of his voice. She was too lost in her distress to focus on that, however. Just as she was too lost to try and control her breathing. "Please, Sakura."

She shook her head quickly and without her consent, she let go of him, only to grip at his shirt a second later, stretching the fabric horribly. "T-Too…" Sakura swallowed hard. "T… ight."

Fortunately for her, he understood and reached out, fumbling for what felt like a lifetime until eventually one clasp unpopped, then moments later, the other, finally freeing her chest.

But it didn't help.

_Nothing_ was helping.

"You're sweating," he murmured unsurely before moving around, leaving her to fall forward pitifully with a sob. Her face pressed into the bedding, body convulsing as her wheezing turned into coughing and heaving. "Come stand under the window with me."

No. She couldn't. She couldn't move. Not even with his support. Not even as he tried to move her himself when she failed to respond. The bed beneath her was wet, but she couldn't tell if it was from her tears or snot or saliva at that point – it didn't matter to her. All that ran through her mind was that she couldn't breathe and was undoubtedly dying.

She must have said it out loud, because Sasuke was suddenly telling her, "You're not dying. It's a panic attack. You're going to be okay."

_Why couldn't she be normal?_

"Breathe with me," he ordered again.

How much time had passed before she managed to return to a regular heartbeat and breathing? Minutes? Hours? Had time passed slowly, or quickly? She couldn't tell, not while in such a pathetic state. All Sakura was capable of thinking while so lost in… whatever the hell that was, was that she was dying. She had to be, because surely having so many panic attacks wasn't normal? Was it an underlying issue? Was there something wrong with her heart?

"Stop," Sasuke ordered, keeping their eyes locked with the use of his hands cradling her face. "Stop thinking so much."

She wanted to be normal. Wanted to stand up for herself. Wanted to understand what it was that made her heart yearn so badly for two different men, to the point where it made her a nervous fucking wreck.

"I'm so tired," whispered Sakura hoarsely. She swallowed to try and soothe the pain in her throat from her hyperventilating, but it seemed it was a losing battle. "These things are draining me."

Was there a limit on how many panic attacks a person could have before succumbing to total mental exhaustion? No, not just mental, because her body felt like it'd gone through the ringer too. Like somebody thrice her weight had been sat on her chest, immobilising her so that all she could think about was–

"_Stop thinking._ You're working yourself up."

Oh. Was that what she was doing?

Eyes sliding shut, she rested her forehead on Sasuke's collarbone, doing her utmost to focus now that her mind had slowed down to a more bearable speed. It was then that she noticed he'd still been cradling her face, though only because those unpredictable hands slid downwards, tracing the expanse of her back until she was being held in a warm embrace.

How had Sasuke's personality once more done such a humongous one-eighty? How had he gone from not knowing what to do for her, to suddenly being capable of not only talking her down during a panic attack, but also comforting her? Sakura was lost.

Was it okay to ask?

She bit her lip worriedly.

"How…?"

Sasuke's gaze lowered when he pulled back, like he'd wanted to look at her while talking but couldn't bring himself to. "Itachi knew what was happening and what to do," he admitted before adding with a hint of embarrassment, "I asked him what I should do."

The thought of them exchanging information on how to _handle her_ sent a shudder of revulsion down her spine, but she had to fight the urge to pull away from him, because Sasuke hadn't done anything wrong. Like any other person who was struggling to understand a difficult situation, he'd gone to the only person he felt he could trust with it – his beloved older brother, the one who seemed to have a grasp on it all.

It just so happened she and Itachi had betrayed his trust in the worst way possible.

"I wanted to be able to help you too," he murmured softly. Finally meeting her eye, he reached up again, cupping her cheek with a faint twitch of his lips, like he was trying to smile but couldn't find the strength to do so. "I want you to be able to come to me when you need someone – to feel comfortable doing so."

Would that ever happen for them? Would she ever be capable of feeling comfortable with that level of openness? If she tried that day, Sakura knew she would think only of the consequences, for just the notion of her deceit being exposed chilled her.

"I want that too," she said earnestly because she truly did want that. She wanted to trust him so badly it killed her a little on the inside. After all, what right did she have in not trusting him, when she'd betrayed his so viciously?

"You're thinking too much again," Sasuke said while smoothing out her frown lines, unknowingly causing a part of her to blanch at the mere thought of causing wrinkles so young. That was the last thing she needed in her already tragic life. Wrinkles before she even hit twenty. "We can get out of here. Go out for dinner somewhere."

"It's a little late for dinner."

"Supper, then. Late night snack. Take your pick."

She smiled at his pushiness, for it was such a Sasuke trait that it warmed her heart. "What about a drive-thru instead?"

"And eat in my car?"

The wrinkling of his nose, his blatant disgust, relaxed her further. "I'm not Naruto – I'm not a messy eater."

Within five minutes of making the plan, they were escaping the eerily silent mansion without crossing paths with anyone and sliding silently into Sasuke's car, driving away, both releasing sighs of relief without realising.

It was almost – _almost _– possible to forget about their tumultuous past few months as they relaxed in their seats, her smile returning when she saw Sasuke one-handing the steering wheel, other soon coming to hers and entwining their fingers. He'd always been overly cautious about driving, always needing both hands free in case of an emergency. Seeing him relaxing was both refreshing and heart-warming.

"Have you already started therapy?" she asked, interrupting the silence that was for once peaceful and easy.

"One session."

Ah. He was a little awkward when discussing it, though that didn't surprise her in the least. Sasuke had always found it hard talking about himself or his emotions. "How did it go?"

"I'm not sure," he responded truthfully, eyes glued to the road. Keeping their hands connected, he knocked the car down to neutral as they came to a red light. She'd never understood why he did that, but then again, his car was automatic whereas hers was manual (and her father always tried to drill it into her to come off the clutch and go neutral when at a red light). "The therapist said it would take time to open up." Rolling his eyes as the light turned green, he set off again, adding, "Father believes it's a ploy to get more money."

Of course he did. Fugaku probably used that excuse to get out of going to therapy, telling himself that it was all fake and just a waste of his time and money. To that generation, talking didn't help matters. Men had to bottle everything up and keep a stiff upper lip.

She was proud of Sasuke for informing his father of going to therapy, though. Immensely proud.

Although they were officially in summer, it was chillier at night and she daringly reached to change the heating settings, glancing to her boyfriend from the corner of her eye while doing so. He was unaffected, it seemed, and she sighed with relief as the heat immediately began filling the car until she felt toasty warm.

"He was probably hit with a few home truths that he couldn't handle," Sakura snorted.

Sasuke remained silent but nodded.

She wondered what he'd opened up about already, if he'd spoken at all. It was hard to imagine her boyfriend being so honest about all that'd gone on – he'd never been one for being emotionally vulnerable, instead following his father's example. But Sasuke had already impressed her with a few attitude changes, so was that a sign that he really was trying to change?

But was it really such a good thing if he was only trying to change for her? Shouldn't it be for himself?

Sakura shook the worrying thought from her mind, because did it really matter when he was _still_ willing to change?

"I asked if you could attend my next session with me," he explained after a few beats of silence, interrupting her wandering mind as she pondered whether to turn the radio on. "Apparently, it's down to if I feel comfortable enough having you there."

Sitting in on a session would be huge for him. She knew it would be. "So…?"

Another pause. She was _floored_ when his jaw clenched slightly. "Are you free on Thursday?"

That was in just two days' time. It stunned her that it was so soon, but then again, the Uchiha family could afford the most prestigious of private clinics, couldn't they? There would be no waiting lists for them. And if they wanted multiple sessions a week? Then they got them. Nobody was going to turn away Fugaku or his family for fear of the repercussions.

"Yeah," she replied without thinking about it.

If attending Sasuke's therapy sessions with him helped her boyfriend in moving forward, then she would be there. She would support him one hundred percent.

But she worried about being asked something that landed him in trouble. Sure, she knew about confidentiality, but she also knew it could be broken if the therapist believed the patient was at risk of harming themselves or someone else. What would happen if they talked about the abuse? _Would _they talk about the abuse, or was Sasuke avoiding that topic?

"How much have you…?"

When she trailed off weakly, he sighed and pulled into a car park, sights set on the gigantic yellow 'M' that lit up the area, rendering the streetlights pointless in its presence. She couldn't feel surprised that he'd chosen fast food, not when their conversation was so heavy.

"He's aware that I'm…" The words died on his tongue and she felt her stomach twist in response to his inability to finish the sentence, that twisting growing more intense when he changed the sentence entirely. "I haven't told him everything yet."

_Yet_.

She would hold onto that 'yet' and hope Sasuke was big enough to share all that he'd done. Until then, she had no choice but to trust he would confide in his therapist about all that had happened, that he would be willing to go through whatever treatment was out there for people falling onto that dark path of abuse.

"What do you want?" he asked as his car slowed to a crawl, approaching the telecom.

She recalled the last time they ate at a McDonald's and how she'd fought for a salad when all she'd wanted was a double cheeseburger, her stomach unsettled with every bite when Sasuke ignored her wishes and went with what he believed to be best for her. Rather than go through the whole ordeal all over again, she ordered what her stomach truly wanted without half as much guilt as what she would've previously experienced.

It seemed Sasuke appreciated the growth in her confidence, for he proffered a small smile of admiration and pride. And even though part of her hated herself for it, she flourished under his silent praise, heart skipping beats and palms tingling.

Maybe she was the one who needed therapy, not him?

They ate in the furthest part of the car park, relaxing back into their seats with music playing quietly to fill the silence. Aside from theirs, there were about ten cars that were parked up, all spread out in various isolated spots in what Sakura knew was an attempt to lessen the chances of damage from heavy-handed consumers.

"Do you think you'll be going back?"

She knew exactly what he was referencing to and thoughtfully, she looked down to her double cheeseburger, frowning. "I don't know. What she did was…"

Wrong. Hurtful. Twisted. Fucked up.

Gods, choosing one word to describe what'd happened was impossible.

"We don't have to talk about it," he assured her quietly. Copying Sakura's example, he looked to his meal, slowing in his eating so that he could talk between bites. "But if you need someone to support you in going back there, I'll be there for you."

Despite knowing they'd never slept together or had any sort of intimacy, an irrational part of Sakura still felt an extreme necessity to keep them separated. Simply because _what if_.

Also…

As much as she loved Sasuke, she simply couldn't see him comforting her or protecting her in the same way as Itachi had. She'd sincerely needed his presence – the maturity, the rationalism, the composure, the support.

_That feeling of home_.

"Thank you," she said.

How was she supposed to tell someone like Sasuke that, while she appreciated the gesture, he wouldn't ever live up to the promise? And sure, she knew how cruel that sounded, but she _knew him_. She knew what to expect. A reaction such as Itachi's, of getting her far away from the abuse he'd walked in on, of comforting her, would not cross Sasuke's mind. No, he would attack first and ask questions later. He would jump straight to demanding some form of revenge before comforting her, making the whole situation unnecessarily messier. That was just who he was, sadly and anyone who dared to argue with her was straight up wrong and clearly didn't know him in the slightest, so should keep their damned mouths shut.

Sasuke was irrational at the best of times with a terrifying temper that would only exacerbate the situation. There was the added fear that Ino would jump at the chance to use him against her in some way and it would work, without a doubt, due to her vulnerability.

"I'm tired of being hurt," she confessed softly, unable to look at him as she spoke. "She shattered the trust between us, Sasuke-kun and I can't forgive that."

He nodded silently, watching her for a few moments longer before sighing and looking ahead of himself, staring out at the stretch of space that boasted how busy the entertainment corner of Konoha usually was. Opposite the McDonald's was a cinema, which was next to a bowling alley and on the other end of the car park was a bar, one that was currently open but quiet.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"I…" Fidgeting, she briefly looked his way before averting her gaze when she found he was already watching her. "I know we haven't talked about our anniversary, but I… I still want to go."

"Are you sure?"

Steeling her resolve, Sakura met his eye and smiled. If they were going to move on from the shitty things that had happened, then they both had to put in the effort, didn't they? Sasuke was already going to therapy and had asked that she joined him, to keep an eye on his progress. That was huge for him. So, it was her turn.

"It'll be good for us," she told him while scrunching up her wrappers and tossing them into the paper bag in her footwell. "We'll be away from all distractions, just the two of us for a whole weekend."

She did her utmost to ignore the pang of doubt in the pit of her stomach, choosing to brush it off as indigestion.

"…Yeah."

She also brushed off his uncertainty with a smile since his reaction only made hers worsen.

"We should probably head back," she suggested when the silence dragged out for too long.

But the shaking of Sasuke's head as he leaned back in his seat, breathing out a sigh, had her smile warming, as did his response of, "Not yet. I want to stay here in this moment for a bit longer."

* * *

They fell asleep in his car, though due to being on the far end of the car park, they were mostly ignored or unnoticed entirely, much to her gratefulness. She couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would have been to be discovered sleeping in Sasuke's car like they were homeless. Then again, being homeless and owning a fairly recent, personalised Range Rover was a strange mixture.

Wary of waking Sasuke, she lowered her sun visor to check the mirror, sighing in relief when she found she didn't look that bad. The hair was an easy fix and she ran her fingers through it several times, only to groan in annoyance when she went to tie it up only to find her hair tie missing. Of course, she'd forgotten that she'd given it to Ino the night before when she'd been throwing up.

_No point stressing about it_, she thought to herself, taking a deep breath.

Glancing to her slumbering boyfriend, Sakura felt a surge of warmth. He always looked so peaceful when sleeping and as much as she would prefer staying there with him, she knew they had to leave.

"Sasuke-kun?" He mumbled something to her about going back to sleep and she smiled, reaching out and giving a gentle shake. "Sasuke-kun, we fell asleep."

"…You did first."

Typical of him. Instead of disagreeing or admitting it was his fault since he'd wanted to stay there and relax, he found someone else to blame. Knowing how to wake him, Sakura shuffled in her seat, the bag with their trash rustling at her feet.

The smell of their rubbish made his nose wrinkle and he glanced at it through a single, squinting eye before sighing and rubbing his forehead, brushing his bangs back messily. That tiredness alone told her he hadn't been far behind her in falling asleep, though fortunately he'd turned the engine off before doing so. The doors were also locked, though she knew that it was a habit of Sasuke's to lock the car whenever he was stationary.

Upon leaving the car park, he tossed the bag of rubbish with perfect aim into one of the bins, driving off without a second thought.

"Father will probably be awake when we get back," he muttered, stealing a glance at the clock on his dashboard. "Itachi, too."

Ignoring the pang in her chest at the mentioning of his name was close to impossible and Sakura wondered if it would always be that way, or if it would fade over time. Would her feelings?

Did she want them to?

"Do they really leave for work this early?" It was barely even six, after all and at his nod of confirmation, she shook her head with disbelief. "It's a surprise they're not sick from overworking themselves."

Not that she cared much, if at all, for Fugaku.

Noticing that her boyfriend had grown pensive after the mentioning of his father, she twisted in her seat to look at him, asking, "What do you want to do today?"

"You're not tired?"

"Yeah, but… We can't sleep all day, can we?"

"As tempting as that would be, no. We can't."

He'd never hear the end of it if he did, would he? Sighing, Sakura pondered the many different things they could do, but whenever she was certain she had a great idea, Fugaku's scowl would flash through her mind and it was like she could _hear_ him muttering that they were squandering their time on such infantile exploits, when they could have been doing something productive or beneficial to their futures.

"Isn't there anything you want to do?" she enquired quietly as they entered the wealthier side of Konoha.

It used to fill her with awe seeing the flashy mansions and acres of land between each home. Now she just felt trepidation and an odd sensation of isolation, like she was staring into her future and hating every second of it.

She was tempted to tell Sasuke to turn back around and drive off, but she bit her tongue to stay silent. Unlike Itachi, Sakura knew Sasuke would grow annoyed with her words.

"I didn't work out yesterday," he answered with a weary exhale.

Meaning he would work twice as hard that day. Meaning he would be in agony and not wanting to move later that day. Meaning it would probably lead to them hanging out in his gaming room.

Sakura suppressed her shudder.

Helping him would mean eventually being able to sit with him in that room, wouldn't it? Or would it? Gods, she just wanted to avoid that place altogether because honestly? Sakura wasn't sure if she would ever be able to face it. She'd tried getting over it, or at least moving on from it by returning like nothing major had happened, like he hadn't forced himself on her or pinned her to the window with his rage. It hadn't worked, however and with her reoccurring panic attacks, she wasn't sure if she could cope with the smothering, dark aura of that room.

What excuse could she use to get out of it, though? And would it seem too soon to use it in that moment? Would he know she was bullshitting?

"We can try working out together?" she offered, hoping the uncertainty in her voice wasn't noticeable.

After the workout, she could claim to feeling too sore to do anything, or even that she wanted to soak in the tub to try and ease the soreness of her muscles. Then hopefully by that time, dinner would be ready, and they'd have no choice but to join the rest of the family. Then…

It was pretty sad that she had to find excuses, wasn't it? How were they ever going to move forward if she couldn't even face a simple gaming room?

By the time they returned to the mansion, Sakura's hands were shaking – a shaking that increased in intensity when Fugaku and Itachi entered the garage just as they climbed out of Sasuke's car, the pause in each of their movements filling her with dread.

"Where have you been?" questioned Fugaku coolly.

His aura alone demanded that Sasuke focus solely on him and it seemed she was spared for the moment, her gaze catching Itachi's, soon pleading with him not to say anything when he glanced downwards and noticed her shaking. His eyebrows twitched at that, like he was going to mention it anyway and for a split second, her heart sunk.

But then he sighed and turned away, murmuring, "They are adults, Father."

"That may be, however-"

"However, nothing." There was no room for argument in his tone and Sakura winced at the coldness he exhibited. Was it because of her? "You said it is necessary that we be at the office at this unreasonable hour, so let's leave already."

The flash of disapproval in the patriarch's eyes was not missed by her or Sasuke and she gripped his wrist when he inhaled quickly, like he was about to unleash hell on his father for so much as thinking of Itachi negatively. He remained silent.

She met Itachi's gaze a final time when he slid into his car, unable to describe the ferocious _ache_ that swept through her entire body at the distance between them – not only physically, but emotionally also. And while Sakura knew he was doing it to protect his heart, that she'd made the decision to end whatever had been growing between them, it still hurt. So much so that it stole the breath from her lungs and left her standing there momentarily like an idiot.

It would never be normal between them, would it? Could they even be _just _friends after how intense it got between them?

Sakura understood perfectly that she'd hurt Itachi by choosing Sasuke, but… But he was her boyfriend and he was trying so hard to change his ways. Their five-year anniversary was just around the corner. Surely, that meant something?

"Let's go, Sakura."

She tried not to flinch at the sudden grab of her wrist that obnoxiously broke the spell Itachi seemed to cast on her.

"We'll eat, then workout."

Numbly, she nodded.

* * *

Working out with Sasuke was nothing like working out with Itachi, although part of herself told her to ease up on the critique. It'd hardly been a workout, after all. More of a photo shoot. And Sasuke had the excuse that he had to make up for skipping exercising the day before – she knew it was a part of his daily routine and no doubt it'd knocked him out of sorts.

Much to her gratefulness, she'd received her escape halfway through their workout when they'd paused to catch their breaths. The pinging of her phone had annoyed Sasuke, but when she stated it was Naruto asking her to hang out, she got the feeling he was almost grateful for the invitation. Well, he'd told her to go without hesitating, so she believed he was glad to see the back of her, anyway.

She understood why when she returned to the gym to say goodbye, for the intensity of his workout had increased exponentially. Apparently, she'd been holding him back.

"Be careful," she said for the third time, frowning.

"Just go already."

Was it okay if she did, considering he was using one of the highest settings on the pec-deck machine? Grimacing, she loitered in the doorway, knowingly pissing him off but being unable to leave with the horrible pit in her stomach that he may hurt himself.

"Sakura–"

"Just… Please, don't do any bench presses without anyone here to spot you," she pleaded worriedly.

His agreement wasn't all that comforting, so on her way out, she _may_ have passed the warning onto his mother, who swore she would do regular checks. It wasn't much, but it did lessen the worry somewhat.

Naruto was waiting outside for her when she left the manor, grinning widely at her warm smile and pushing away from the hood of his car, embracing her without restraint.

"You look better," he said as his greeting.

She didn't feel it. Not really. Instead of saying so, she lied and extracted herself from his hug with a cheerful, "Sleep'll do that for a person."

She hadn't missed his driving in the slightest, Sakura quickly realised when he tore out of the driveway, tyres screeching their protest when he made a sharp turn. It was a good thing the roads they took were relatively quiet with higher speed limits, otherwise he would've lost his license with his reckless speeding.

Still, she appreciated his company as he immediately blasted his music with the windows rolled all the way down, neither caring for others as they sang along as loud as they could. Had Sasuke tagged along, he would've no doubt put a downer on the experience and while it was no doubt selfish of her for thinking so, she was glad he hadn't joined them, especially when Naruto gave her full control of the aux lead and allowed her to play her favourite playlist.

_That_ was what she needed, decided Sakura, her grin never dimming for a moment even as they flew over dips in the dirt road that left them suspended for seconds at a time. Her best friend – one of very few people who'd never hurt her, one who constantly tried his best to help her – and his magical ways of dragging her out of the foulest of moods. Being unhappy around him was unfeasible.

They slowed considerably as they reached busier roads with slower limits, even turning down the music after a short while.

"Working out," she answered when Naruto asked what Sasuke was doing.

"Is that all he does nowadays?"

Not at all, she wanted to argue. Instead, she asked, "Why do you think that's all he does?"

"Because whenever I ask him to hangout, he's either in a bad mood or working out."

She frowned while looking out of her window, vaguely thankful that she'd chosen to tie her hair up earlier. Since Naruto had already told her they would be going for a drive, she'd known exactly what that would've entailed, so hadn't put much, if any, effort into her appearance.

Why would Sasuke lie to Naruto? Was it because he attended therapy? Was it because of her?

Deciding to change the subject, for she knew it would only annoy Sasuke if he knew they were discussing him, she asked, "Have you decided what you're going to do in the fall?"

The question seemed to irk him and as he began his predictable tirade of it being way too soon to decide on any of 'that stuff', Sakura relaxed into her seat with a noticeable slump. Knees coming to her chest and shoeless feet planting firmly into the seat, she rolled her bottom lip between her thumb and finger, staring absentmindedly at the road ahead.

It made sense for Sasuke to keep his therapy a secret, she concluded after a couple of songs. He was proud as hell and while he hopefully knew Naruto would never tease him for seeking help, she knew he would never be ready to discuss _what_ pushed him into therapy in the first place.

Part of her wondered what would happen if Naruto ever found out what'd happened. He'd always been fiercely protective of her and had always gone out of his way making sure her heart was never toyed with. Saying he would be angry was an understatement, for Sakura knew Naruto would be beyond livid. But she couldn't imagine _how_ he would respond. Would he react violently? Emotionally?

It was best he never found out, she decided while glancing over at him. He was too much of a wildcard and there was no telling how it would affect Sasuke in the long run. He needed support.

"Hello?" Naruto elongated his words, waving a hand in front of her face. "Sakura-chan?"

"Sorry," she said with a twitch of her lips.

Sighing irritably, he turned onto quieter roads, sparing a glance in her direction while doing so. "What's up?"

She couldn't say nothing, because he would undoubtedly see straight through it. So, Sakura told him at length, "Ino and I are…" Gods, why did it hurt just _trying _to say it? "We're not friends anymore."

And the seriousness of her tone seemed to really hit him that it was over, for Naruto sent her a startled look and swiftly pulled over in front of a stranger's house. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Nodding slowly and wrapping her arms around her legs, she murmured, "I'm sure you heard about our fight at Sasuke-kun's party?"

He grimaced at that. "Somebody recorded it."

Great. Of course, they had. That seemed to be the natural response to all incidents as of late and it _pissed her_ the hell off.

Instead of allowing herself to get lost in her anger, Sakura took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Do you know what caused it?" Uncertainly, he shook his head. No doubt there'd been several rumours as to what started it. "I confided in her about my relationship with Sasuke-kun and how he told me he loved me earlier that day."

"Are you saying she was hurt by it?"

His disbelief was palpable and had her sighing. "Yeah."

Obviously, she now knew there'd been more to it than mere jealousy, but it still played a factor and she knew it did due to the words she'd spat so hatefully at her.

"Good thing Itachi and Shisui were there," he murmured.

She could only nod.

"This sucks," Naruto suddenly exclaimed and his fist came down on the steering wheel. "She's always tried interfering. Why the hell can't she be happy for you both and just move on?"

It seemed she was getting a little better at controlling her emotions, Sakura realised when she stubbornly fought back the sob threatening to tear its way from deep within her chest. It hurt like crazy and she knew the pain shone brightly on her face, so pressed her forehead tightly to her knees to shield the emotion.

But she should have known better than trying to hide her agony from Naruto. In an instant, he was unbuckling his seat belt and turning in his seat. "Sakura-chan…"

No. No, she _had_ to stop breaking down over everything. She had to learn to control herself. To hold it back. As much as she wanted to confide in him about the reckless plan of forcing Ino to go cold turkey, as much as she _ached_ to tell him about Sasuke and Itachi and the entire fucked up family, she knew she couldn't. She _couldn't._

"Sometimes, my mom says you have to face stuff head on to be able to move on from it," he said suddenly, the softer tone of his voice taking her by surprise briefly. "Maybe… Maybe that's what you need to do with Ino?"

She doubted it. What if she went back and the same thing happened? What if Ino lashed out again and hurt her? What if she froze and was unable to stop her? Even if that wasn't the case, ending a fifteen-year friendship while one of them was going through hell was hardly fair, was it? What if it pushed Ino further into her addiction?

But…

Why was that her problem? Why was she always going out of her way for the people who so effortlessly hurt her?

One last time, she told herself when they resumed driving. During Naruto's distraction of watching the road, she shot off a quick text to _him_, asking for his assistance once more. It was like Naruto said: she had to face Ino head on to move on from her, but she needed someone who understood to be waiting for her on the other side.

'_Are you sure?'_

Was she? Not in the slightest. Her chest was already hurting at just the thought of going back there. But she had to. _She needed to._

She had to finally stand her ground.


End file.
